


Destined ➺ Jasper Hale [1]

by animechey



Series: Kaya Salvatore Series [1]
Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2019-12-30 10:45:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 35
Words: 37,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18313913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/animechey/pseuds/animechey
Summary: destined/ˈdɛstɪnd/adjective(of a person's future) regarded as developing as though according to a pre-existing plan.• certain to meet (a particular fate).• intended for or travelling towards (a particular place).





	1. 𝓭𝓮𝓼𝓬𝓻𝓲𝓹𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷

[COMPLETE]

Kaya was born in 1846 - a time before the Civil War ran rampant across America. Little did she know, the inevitable war was going to change her life more than she believed possible. It was in her teenage years that she met a man - a beast really - that caused her to re-evaluate everything she ever believed to be true.

When she turned 19, her world was flipped upside down and she was forced to change her lifestyle to accommodate the changes thrust into her life. It was after her first year in this new life, the man she came to trust - and somewhat love - was tasked with ending the life of a newborn. She assisted him, and her life was spared from the same fate - but was repaid with the destruction of their coven.

This is her life now - working with those who rule their kind, and fighting the urge to go back to the man she loves, with a surprise in hand. Well, it goes that way until she moves to Forks, Washington in the early 21st century and meets the man who spared her life over a century ago.

Pre-Twilight and Book One of the Twilight Saga

Book One of the Kaya Salvatore Series

© Chey Eveleigh | October 2018

Started: 20th October, 2018  
Finished: 18th March, 2019

Highest Rankings:  
#7 in Jasper Whitlock [December 14th, 2018]  
#127 in Jasper Hale [October 27th, 2018]  
#7 in Volturi [December 14th, 2018]


	2. 𝓭𝓮𝓼𝓬𝓻𝓲𝓹𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷

**Hello to all my readers!**

**It has been a while since I've uploaded anything on this profile that I haven't transferred from another account. That is due to my being in my final year of high school, and due to my being writing on my other account on Wattpad -[nogitsunechey](https://www.wattpad.com/user/nogitsunechey). So, please do check out that account and the stories on there.**

**This story was originally written in 2010 or 2011 when I was around 10 or 11. Therefore, when I found this story 7 or 8 years later, I was utterly disturbed at my writing style all those years ago. I am so glad that this story was never, ever published on any writing websites that existed back then. After re-reading this story, and spending many cringe filled hours trying to do so, I decided that I needed to re-write this book and publish it**

**'Destined', previously titled 'Am I A Vampire?' and 'Her Destiny', required many hours of work, and I have had to decipher my writing from almost a decade ago. However, the style I was writing in for the final chapters of this book mirrors that of one of my few non-fanfiction books that I have written and enjoyed writing in the past two years. Therefore, that made it easier to decipher this book. However, that does not mean that the cringe was not real during those chapters as well.**

**The old story was written when I was going through my obsession with vampires, and when I had completed reading and watching 'The Twilight Saga' by Stephenie Meyer. That, in turn, impacted on how the old story turned out. Many of the characters, from around chapter six, are characters from 'Twilight' - and not just those that appear in the movies. Several of the characters and the abilities that appear in this story are only mentioned in the books, which I find rather sad.**

**Furthermore, I do believe that there were a few characters from 'The Vampire Diaries' by L. J. Smith in the original of this book - or there may just be the one. Damon Salvatore has always been my favourite from 'The Vampire Diaries' - and not just from the television series! Then again, that is easily explained. After all, I have always loved the bad guys and the bad boys - especially if they are sarcastic. (That means Damon Salvatore, Loki Laufeyson, Bucky Barnes, Malachai Parker, Kol Mikaelson, and many others.)**

**However, due to how badly I had written this story almost a decade ago, I've decided to scrap it all and start again. I am going to make it a proper fanfiction - a Jasper Hale fanfiction. Honestly, I am in love with Jasper's character from both the books and the movies, but I feel as though his gift wasn't explored enough in the movies - it was mentioned only one or twice over five movies.**

**This entire story is copyrighted to me, and I will not stand for anyone taking the plot or the characters I create within this story - that is, my original characters. They are of my own creation from almost a decade ago.**

**Furthermore, if this story resembles any that have already been created/written, then I do apologise as it is completely unintentional. If anyone does take anything from this story, you will be in trouble - and even possibly reported for breaking copyright laws.**

**© Chey Eveleigh 2018  
**


	3. 𝓶𝓪𝓲𝓷 𝓬𝓪𝓼𝓽

**India Eisley as Kaya Salvatore**

**Jackson Rathbone as Jasper Hale (Jasper Whitlock)**

**Ashley Greene as Alice Cullen (Mary Alice Brandon)**

**Hannah Rae as Kathleen Whitlock**


	4. 𝓼𝓹𝓸𝓽𝓲𝓯𝔂 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽

__**This is War - Thirty Seconds to Mars  
**_❝To the soldier, the civilian, the martyr, the victim_  
This is war❞

 __ **Start a Fire - Ryan Star  
**_❝Here we go,_  
Just lose control and let your body give in,  
To the beat,  
Of your heart as my hand touches your skin❞

 __ **DONTTRUSTME - 3OH!3  
**_❝Black dress with the tights underneath_  
I got the breath of the last cigarette on my teeth  
And she's an actress (actress)  
But she ain't got no need❞

 __ **I Don't Care - Fall Out Boy  
** ❝Oh, take a chance, let your body get a tolerance,  
I'm not a chance, but a heat wave in your pants  
Pull a breath like another cigarette,  
Pawn shop heart trading up, said no❞

 __ **Can't Be Tamed - Miley Cyrus  
** ❝I'm like a puzzle  
But all of my pieces are jagged  
If you can understand this  
We can make some magic  
I'm wrong like that❞

 __ **Whatever It Takes - Imagine Dragons  
** ❝I'm just a product of the system, a catastrophe  
And yet a masterpiece, and yet I'm half-diseased  
And when I am deceased  
At least I go down to the grave and die happily❞

 __ **Like Toy Soldiers - Eminem  
** ❝I'm supposed to be the soldier, who never blows his composure  
Even though I hold the weight of the whole world on my shoulders  
I ain't never suppose to show it❞

 __ **Dead and Gone - T.I Ft. Justin Timberlake  
** ❝Ooh, I've been travelin' on this road to long  
Just trying to find, my way back home  
The old me, is dead and gone, dead and gone  
And ooh, I've been travelin' on this road to long  
Just trying to find, my way back home  
The old me, is dead and gone, dead and gone❞

 __ **Weeping - Ladysmith Black Mambazo | Joseph Shabalala | Josh Groban & Vusi Mahlasela  
** ❝I knew a man who lived in fear  
It was huge, it was angry,  
It was drawing near  
Behind his house a secret place  
Was the shadow of the demon  
He could never face❞

__**Believer - Imagine Dragons  
** ❝I was broken from a young age  
Taking my sulking to the masses  
Write down my poems for the few  
_That looked at me, took to me, shook to me, feeling me  
_ _Singing from heartache from the pain❞_

__**Flesh - Simon Curtis  
** __❝__ Don't even try to hold it back  
_Just let go_  
_Tie me up and take me over_  
_Till you're done_  
_Till I'm done_  
_You've got me fiendin_  
_And I'm ready to blow_  
_Push up to my body_  
_Sink your teeth into my  
_ _Flesh _❞__

****_I Miss You - blink-182  
_ _❝Hello there_  
The angel from my nightmare  
The shadow in the background of the morgue  
The unsuspecting victim   
Of darkness in the valley  
_We can live like Jack and Sally if we want  
_ _Where you can always find me❞_

__**Easy Silence - Dixie Chicks  
**_❝_ _Children lose their youth too soon_  
_Watching war made us immune_  
And I've got all the world to lose  
But I just want to hold on to the  
The easy silence that you make for me  
It's okay when there's nothing more to say to me  
And the peaceful quiet you create for me  
And the way you keep the world at bay for me❞ 

 __ **Mad World - K.J. Apa, Camila Mendes, Lili Reinhart  
** ❝All around me are familiar faces  
Worn out places, worn out faces  
Bright and early for their daily races  
Going nowhere, going nowhere  
Their tears are filling up their glasses  
No expression, no expression  
Hide my head, I want to drown my sorrow  
No tomorrow, no tomorrow❞

 __ **Vapor - Five Seconds of Summer  
** ❝I want to breathe you in like your vapour  
I want to be the one you remember  
I want to feel your love like the weather  
All over me, all over me  
I want to print our hands in the pavement  
Savour your words, I won't ever waste them  
Look in your eyes and know just what you miss  
So lie to me, just lie to me❞

 __ **Travelin' Soldier - Dixie Chicks**  
❝Never gonna hold the hand of another guy  
Too young for him they told her  
Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier  
Our love will never end  
Waitin' for the soldier to come back again  
Never more to be alone when the letter says  
A soldier's coming home❞

 __ **Immortals - Fall Out Boy**  
❝They say we are what we are,  
But we don't have to be,  
I'm bad behaviour but I do it in the best way,  
I'll be the watcher of the eternal flame,  
I'll be the guard dog of all your favourite dreams,  
I am the sand in the bottom half of the hourglass  
I try to picture me without you but I can't❞

 _ **Better Than I Know Myself - Adam Lambert**_  
_❝I get kind of dark_  
Let it go to far  
I can be obnoxious at times  
But try and see my heart  
'Cause I need you now  
So don't let me down  
You are the only thing in this world  
I would die without❞

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, readers!
> 
> The playlist is on my Spotify account 'nogitsunechey' and titled 'Destined ➺ Jasper Hale [1] Playlist' if you'd like to check it out.
> 
> \- Chey xo -


	5. 𝓸𝓷𝓮

**i. a strange man and woman**

I watch as a young girl - barely appearing to be in her second decade - walks past, eyes a vibrant ruby red in lustre, and skin as pale as snow. The dark haired woman smiles down at me, lips parting to reveal slightly elongated teeth, and continues on her way. I return the smile without hesitation. Then I watch as the gaze turns to a young man across the street, his eyes as red as the girl's, and his skin just as pale, but his hair a beautiful honey blond. He appears to be in pain, and, somehow, I know that it's not a normal pain.

"Kaya Salvatore!" a woman screeches, causing me flinch from my thoughts, and the two odd strangers turn their gaze to me. "Where are you? You were meant to be home over two hours ago, girl!"

I pick up my skirts and run into the crowd, away from my mother, feeling the heavy gaze of the man following me. Making a sharp turn into a small alley, I press myself against the warm wood of a small house, my chest rising and falling in exertion. Too caught up in trying to regain regulated breathing, I don't notice the man in the small space until his hands grip my wrists tightly and pin them against the wood. Instantly, every muscle in my body freezes and my terrified eyes meet his haze covered eyes.

He's been drinking.

The instant his right hand releases my wrist and his fingers brush against my lower abdomen, I begin to tremble - unable to form a coherent thought or move in my state of terror. Fear pulses in my body as he begins to raise my dress, his skin brushing against the stockings covering the scarred skin of my left thigh. All I can do is turn my head to the side and let a few tears drop from my eyes as he rips the flimsy material, his rough skin running over my soft flesh. The contact makes me jerk, and that drives him to release my wrist and move his hand to my throat, a bruising force holding me against the wall.

He leers down at me with lustful eyes of an indiscernible colour, and slowly trails his fingers down the bodice of my dress as his other hand dances across my lower abdomen underneath my dress. "Such a pretty little thing. I'm having such luck today."

I whimper as he begins to untie my dress.

"How about it, pretty? Want to have some fun?"

I shake my head. "No. Please, sir, stop. I have to get home to my husband."

"You're too young to be married, pretty. Why lie when you can have some fun?"

"Stop. Please, sir! I beg of you! I must get home."

The drunken man presses himself against me, pinning me to the wooden wall of the house, and I know that there is no chance of escaping this. The ripped material of my stockings has given way on both legs, and now the rough material of his pants scrapes against my skin, making me flinch further back onto the wall. Before his hand moves between my legs, he is torn off me and thrown against the  wall across from me. 

My knees become week and I fall to the hard ground. Instead of hitting the earth, a rock solid body of ice is in its place. Looking up, I see the honey blond from the street - his eyes almost pitch black in colour now - glaring at the man across from us. Following his gaze, the young woman from before is holding him against the wall by his throat, a sound like a vicious snarl leaving her parted pale lips. A moment later, a sharp  _snap_  sounds and she drops the man to the ground, his head lolling to the side.

Turning back to us, she kneels down, pushing my hair out of my face. "Are you alright, child?"

Weakly, I nod.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Her musical, accented voice soothes me, but I feel as though there is more at play in this instance.

I shake my head, sitting up. The male's hands don't leave my body, holding me gently as I sway slightly once upright. Even then, once I am fine, he only drops one hand and keeps me in place with his right hand gripping onto my left arm, the cold radiating from his being making me shiver slightly. Right then and there, I know that because I witnessed her killing that man, I might not leave this alley alive.

Fear pulses inside me once again, and the man beside me flinches, causing the woman to look over at him. "What is the matter?"

"She's scared of us," the man says, his voice making me shiver. I've never heard such a deep voice in my life, and it makes me feel strange. "She believes we are going to kill her because she saw you kill him."

Her red eyes turn to me, and she smiles softly. "I am not going to kill you, child. However, there is something I require of you."

I relax at her first words, but tension returns to my body once the last leaves her lips. "What is it you want?"

"First, I'd like your name. I'm Maria, and this is Jasper."

"Kaya. Kaya Salvatore."

Jasper smiles slightly at me, but pain shines in his coal black eyes. He knows what Maria is planning, but he has no way of stopping the young woman from getting what she wants. The pain in his eyes is also indicative of something else - something darker and more dangerous than anything I have seen in this war stricken country.

"Kaya, how old are you?" Maria questions, drawing my attention back to her.

I frown at the strange question, but answer anyway. "I am seventeen - eighteen in a few months."

"Okay. Jasper and I will be leaving town in a few days, but we will return in two years time. When we return, you will find us in the church outside of this town - a place where nobody goes. Do not keep me waiting, or you will end up like that man. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am. I understand."


	6. 𝓽𝔀𝓸

**ii. nineteenth birthday present**

Two years have passed since the day I would have lost my virtue to a man who was not my husband, and I met two strangers - Jasper and Maria - that changed my reality. In the past two years, I married a man and gave birth to a child whom I christened Jaida - a strange, combined name of Jasper and Maria. Although those years were the happiest of my known existence, I know that it is all about to come to an end. After all, it is my nineteenth birthday, and Maria warned me that she and Jasper would return.

I caught sight of them in the market earlier whilst I was out buying food for Jaida, and I knew that my life was about to change forever this time. Jasper smiled at me, and his red eyes glimmered with happiness at seeing me once again, but all I could muster was fear at what Maria wanted of me. At that, his smile dissipated and he shook his head - appearing to tell me either that I am not going to die, or not to be scared.

All I did was give him a tight-lipped smile and hurry on my way back to the house I moved into only months after Jasper and Maria came to town. However, I never forgot about them. Maria's features blurred beyond recognition in my mind, but Jasper's stayed crystal clear, and chills spread across my scarred flesh every time I remembered his deep voice. Though I should not mention it, and it should not have come to pass, when my husband and I spent the night together, I pictured that it was Jasper with me - not the man I had wed.

Now, it's the moment of truth.

I wait hours for my husband to fall into a deep slumber, and, the moment he does, I climb out of our bed and pull on a simple charcoal dress and a black cloak to blend into the night. Grabbing the bag I instinctively packed hours ago, I walk over to Jaida's cot, smiling down at my daughter and placing a soft kiss on her forehead. Whispering my goodbyes to my family, I walk out of the house and into the dark of the night - the night filled with monsters; vampires. Yes, I discovered what they were, and, the fact that she wants me to meet her in an abandoned church, means she wants me turned.

The darkness swallows everything and twists objects into something unworldly - something that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand erect. Fighting my instinct to flee back into the safety of my house, I dive into the darkness and make my way through the deserted town. Soon enough, in the faint moonlight, I make out the form of the old church my mother and father used to force me to attend every Sunday. That is, they did that until I set it alight one night in order to stop them from forcing their beliefs upon me.

Walking into the half destroyed building, I instantly see Maria sitting on one of the front pews, but Jasper is nowhere in sight. Swallowing down the lump of fear in my throat, I walk over to her, sitting in the pew across from hers. A small smile graces her face as she looks over what remains of the alter, and then she turns to look at me, her vivacious red eyes shimmering with delight and playfulness. I give her a small smile in return and lower the hood of my cloak, making her smile grow.

"Hello, Kaya," Maria hums, her musical tone ringing in my ears. "It's nice to see you again."

I nod. "It's lovely to see you too, Miss Maria. May I ask, where is Jasper?"

"Jasper is currently outside. He finds it difficult to be around someone who has no control over their emotions, as well as humans as he has yet to restrain himself from killing them all on sight."

"I see. It's because of me. I understand."

"Do not take it the wrong way, girl." Her musical voice becomes sharp. "He wishes to be here to help you, but, in this instance, he cannot be here yet."

I undo my cloak and allow it to fall to the seat as I swallow. "You intend to turn me, do you not?"

"How perceptive. I've not met a human who has known of our kind and not run for fear of their demise."

"I am not like my kind. I do not fear what I do not understand, and that is due to fear only being created due to not understanding something."

Maria stands and walks to the aisle, holding out her hand. Standing upright, I walk over to her and take her hand, staring up into her eyes. She is only taller than me by four inches at the most, but it feels as though she is a good foot taller than me in this instance. If it were Jasper standing here, despite him being over six feet tall, it would feel as though we were the same height, and that's because he does not intimidate me as Maria does.

The vampire in front of me leans down and lightly kisses me - something I am not expecting, so it causes me to jump in surprise. Maria pulls away from me and smiles playfully. This is just a game to her, and she is enjoying every moment of it. Swallowing, I meet her eyes evenly - much to her disappointment. She pouts lightly and then shrugs a moment later, all playfulness and delight vanishing from her frozen features.

Gripping my hand tighter, she raises my wrist to her mouth and instantly bites down. Pain like nothing I have ever known encompasses my body - acid flowing through my body being the closest thing I can describe it as. Just as a scream goes to tear itself from my mouth, a hand clamps over my mouth and an arm wraps around my waist, holding me against a firm body as I begin to thrash in an attempt to stop the pain.

Throwing my head back, I meet the brilliant red eyes of Jasper. They're filled with pain and worry, and all I can do is wish that he could not feel what I feel in this instance. At that, he smiles lightly, but his hold tightens as my eyes squeeze shut and the pain worsens. My hands claw at my chest in pain, my heart feeling as though it's about to literally melt, and warm liquid coats my fingers as I break through skin. Jasper growls and grips my wrists, pinning them to my abdomen as he fights to hold me still in order to prevent any other damage.

Screaming against his hand, I feel tears begin to run down my face as the pain grows to a whole new level. My head begins to scream in pain and all I can do is let those screams out. As my bottom jaw drops open, Jasper's hand slides up slightly and I am able to suck in fresh air. As another scream threatens to break free, I instinctively bite down on Jasper's hand, causing him to growl loudly in surprise.

My body gives out only moments later and my jaw goes slack, releasing Jasper's hand. Grey clouds roll in my vision as I go limp in his hold, my head lolling to the side as darkness encompasses me. I welcome it; a world without the pain I am feeling right now. The last thing I see is Maria smirking at me, and Jasper's pain filled face staring at me with worry.


	7. 𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓮𝓮

**iii. just a little welcome present**

The second my eyes open, I know something is wrong. There's no air going into my lungs, and I don't feel like I am suffocating. Sitting up, my suddenly perfect vision is looking around the half burned church. Dust motes and ash; bugs and hair; material and skin. I can see it all in microscopic detail, and it's making me panic. If I were still being required to breath, I would most certainly be hyperventilating right now. As I continue to look around the church, a wave of calm douses the fire of panic burning within me, and I launch to my feet, turning to see Jasper sitting on the pew behind me.

"Good morning, Miss Kaya," Jasper greets, his eyes no longer pained, but worry still evident in them. "It's good to see that you survived the bite."

I frown, sitting down beside him. "There was a chance I wasn't going to make it?"

"Sometimes the pain is so extreme that the human body shuts down before the venom has a chance to change the person."

"How many have died since you've been a vampire?"

"In the past two years, almost a quarter of those Maria has attempted to create have died - even with my help."

I look at him in surprise. "You've only been like this for two years?"

Jasper's red eyes shine with amusement. "Yes, ma'am. Maria only created me mere months before we saved you."

Before either of us can say something else, Maria walks into the church and slows to a stop in front of us, her red eyes scanning over me. Without saying a word, she walks away and Jasper moves to follow her. Quickly picking up my discarded cloak, I follow the two older vampires outside into the sunlight. Instinctively, I flinch at the sudden heat, but I don't burn like myths have led me to believe. Instead, the heat from the sun makes me itch, and, for some unknown reason, I sparkle in the light.

Jasper laughs at my reaction, making me glare at him for a moment, but a smile of my own grows as his happiness becomes contagious. Maria turns and smiles at us before speeding off into the distance, Jasper holding out his hand a few seconds later for me to take. Without hesitation, I take his hand and everything blurs around us as we run across the open plains to where Maria and Jasper live with what other vampires she has created. What feels like seconds later, we slow to a walk and Jasper releases my hand as we walk inside an old stable.

As soon as I walk in, almost ten other vampires launch themselves at me. Instinctively, I retaliate - my fists flying and successfully sending them all flying. Some come back for another attempt, but I out manoeuvre them with ease, ducking under their flailing limbs as they try their hardest to land a hit on me. After knocking them all down, I come face-to-face with a stoic and apprehensive Jasper, and a surprised Maria. Neither of them were expecting that I was going to easily beat ten vampires, and that is utterly obvious.

I lower my hands and dust off my dress, not entirely certain as to what to do. Jasper steps closer to me and I instantly move to the side, dodging his fist. He sends a quick succession of blows and I instinctively move out of their paths without a blow landing on me. The instant he goes for my stomach, I jump over him and flip, landing with my back to his. Moments later, he lands in front of me and his head tilts to the side slightly, as if disbelieving that he didn't manage to land a single hit.

"You know basic combat," Jasper muses, studying me. "Your father?"

I nod, still having my guard up. "Yes, and my husband."

Maria walks over and stops mere inches from me. "You married?"

"I had no choice. My parents needed the money only a wedding could provide, and I am currently their only child. I used to have a brother, but he went to fight in the war before he was eighteen and lost his life."

"Do you have a child?"

I can't help the small smile that grows on my face. "Yes, a daughter. Her name is Jaida. She's almost two years old."

Almost instantly, Maria turns on her heel and walks away, tension rolling off her in waves. I don't need Jasper's ability to feel that. The man himself is rigid until Maria is no longer in the room, and then he turns his brilliant red eyes to me, looking at me as though I had lost my mind. Although, maybe, just maybe, I had lost it since I was human - however long ago that was. I hadn't a clue how long had passed since the night I left home.

Jasper feels my unease and sighs, sitting on a hay bale. "Maria wants a family. She had one before they were murdered - both her human one and her vampire one. None of her former coven survived when it was attacked."

I stare down at him, glad that I no longer have to crane my neck to meet his eyes. "Should I not have told her about Jaida?"

He frowns suddenly, brow furrowed and confusion sweeping his almost angelic features. "You love your daughter, but not your husband - it's more indifference and slight affection. Why did you marry him if you did not love him?"

My tongue darts out and wets my lips. "My parents needed the money, and he's the son of the man who owns the town. I did have feelings for him at one time, but they left years ago."

Jasper's ruby eyes meet my mirroring ones and he stands, his right hand taking hold of my left, feeling our cold skin press against another's. He knows why the feelings I had for my husband vanished two years ago, and he's not entirely sure what to think of it, but he knows that both he and I have to live with that fact. The one thing I'm glad he can't do is read my mind - my memories - and find out just how deep the result of that is.

All it took was a ten minute encounter, and I knew I was never going to feel the same about anyone ever again. One look into his soulful eyes and I knew I was long gone - there was no escaping the thrall I had been put into.


	8. 𝓯𝓸𝓾𝓻

**iv. the newborn army**

The days and nights blurred together, the inability to sleep - and not requiring sleep - has made me edgy. A burning desire to feed has grown in my throat - and I'm not sure how much longer I can pretend that everything is alright. Maria and Jasper occasionally come back smelling of something delicious, and a few of the other vampires in this coven gain the same tantalising scent, but not many.

Clenching my teeth, I all but stagger out of the stable, feeling the setting sun burn on my cool skin. Looking down at my skin, I am still in awe at how it appears as though there are jewels implanted into it - one sign that I am no longer a human. Another is my eyes - either coal black and full of pain and desire, or a vibrant, unnerving ruby red. The last my body itself - no imperfections that once graced my face and made me unsymmetrical. However, the pre-existing scars on my legs still remain for some unknown reason, and the scars that I have gained from the training over the past few days.

My speed, hearing, strength and healing have increased beyond human comprehension, and there is an insane thirst inside my body. Jasper has the ability to manipulate emotions, and one or two of the other newborns have abilities of their own, but nothing as magnificent as the honey blond's - one can manipulate the mind of another, and the other is faster and stronger than the others - Jasper included.

Speaking of the devil, Jasper himself walks out of the stable and stands beside me. "Good evening, Miss Salvatore."

I nod in acknowledgement, looking into his ruby red eyes. "Hello, Jasper. How are you doing today?"

"I am doing well. What about yourself?"

"I suppose I am still getting used to not being human any longer, but, other than that, I am quite well."

He tilts his head to the side, assessing me. "You haven't fed since you were turned, have you?"

I keep my gaze off him, staring out into the distance. "Not that I am aware of, no."

Not a moment later, Jasper's hand is in mine and we're running into the sunset. Well, not exactly. We're running to the closest town, I believe. We reach it just as the last light of the day fades into an explosion of pinks and purples and blues above the mountains in the distance. The lack of light allows for us to be able to move without being called a monster, or something unnatural or inhuman. Whilst we may be both monsters and inhuman, we are in no way unnatural.

Few people loiter around the ever darkening streets, and my throat begins to burn at the mere scent of their tantalising blood. Jasper's grip tightens on my hand and holds me stationary despite the fact that I am many times stronger than him due to only having been turned days ago, and him over two years ago. I suppose it's quite possibly due to that small part of my rational brain shining bright and warning me not to lose composure and drain every single human in sight.

Tearing my gaze from them, I stop breathing and look at Jasper, watching the bright ruby red bleed into a dark charcoal black before my very eyes. A maniacal and bloodthirsty look grows on his face and, only seconds later, his hand is gone from mine. Pivoting on the spot, I find him holding someone against the wall of a house, his face buried into their throat. As if he knows I am looking at him, he jerks his head away from his meal and looks over at me with blood red eyes and red staining around his mouth.

The honey blond holds out his hand, palm upwards, towards me. "Kaya."

Instantly, I am beside him, my black eyes pinned on the torn flesh of the man's throat. Jasper shifts beside me and I lunge forward, my teeth burying themselves into the mess the honey blond made. The life essence of the victim flows into me in the form of his almost black blood; his life blood. All too soon, he is drained dry, and I release him, unceremoniously throwing his body onto the dirt.

Licking my lips, I meet Jasper's pained blood red eyes, almost flinching because I know he felt the pain of the man I just killed. "Jasper, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..."

He shakes his head. "It's alright, darlin'. You needed to feed or you would have gone rabid and..."

"What's is it? What would have happened?"

"I would have been tasked with killing you."

"Jasper..." I place my hand on the side of his face, staring up into his sorrowful eyes.

"It's alright, Miss Salvatore." Jasper places his hand over mine for a brief second before walking away. "I'll have to face your pain soon enough."

"What do you mean by that, soldier?"

"One year. That's all Maria allows for her newborns. A year, and then I am ordered to kill them. Vampires are at their strongest in their first year of life, and, after that, they're nothing but regular vampires."

His words are spoken in the darkness of the night, and they must weigh heavily on his conscience. Even without his ability, I can tell that he feels attached to me despite the fact that we've only truly known each other for a week at most. Although, who am I to call that fact insane? After all, I was the one fantasising about Jasper in the place of my husband. It's not something I am proud of, but it is something I could not prevent from occurring - I cannot control who and what my heart and mind wants.

The run back to the stable is silent and tense, and he is not holding my hand this time. It makes me wonder if he can feel what I did, or if he is beginning to distance himself before the time comes that he is forced to rip my head from my body and end my life. Once we reach the stable, I know I have to do something to prevent him receding inside his mind and having no friend. So, against my better judgement, I wrap my hand around his wrist and stop him from walking away from me.

In a blur of movement, he is pinning me against the frame of the stable, staring down at me with unreadable ruby eyes. It is then I truly see him. His skin is absolutely covered in scars, spaced most thickly together on his neck and jaw. A few small marks on his arm were fresh, but the rest were not from our training session today. He has been in more fights than I can imagine, and he's never lost.

Before I can fully comprehend the situation and our position, Jasper's lips are crashing against mine in a flurry of desperation. All I can do is stand there, pinned like an unwilling victim, while our mouths move in a dangerous dance of desire and thirst; as if we're starving and there is nothing else around to satisfy the feeling within our souls. The second his hands move down to rest on my waist, mine move to grip his shoulders; finally having something to ground me and prevent me from seemingly losing myself in this brief moment.

As a small sound escapes me, Jasper goes rigid and instantly detaches from me, his ruby red eyes wide in shock. In the reflection of myself in his eyes, I can see that mine are mirroring his. The second his jaw clenches, I press myself back against the frame of the stable, my hands brushing against his marble chest as they fall to my sides, knowing that they can no longer hold onto the man I am infatuated with.

"Miss Salvatore, I'm sorry," Jasper apologises, his Texan accent becoming more prominent. "Forgive me. I should have had better control of myself."

At those words, I knew that he didn't feel the same.

He flinches, obviously feeling my emotions. "Don't think like that, darlin'. It's not like that."

"Don't try to comfort me when you are the one who hurt me."


	9. 𝓯𝓲𝓿𝓮

**v. the neglect of a father**

Days blur into weeks into months and, before any of us know it, my twentieth birthday is mere weeks away - the day that I am going to end up dead by Maria's request, but at Jasper's hand. Since that stolen, feverish kiss almost a year ago, more moments like that have occurred in the darkness of the night when we're out on the hunt for food or for more possible candidates for Maria's army. Maria herself is none the wiser about what has been happening between Jasper and myself, and we desperately want to keep it that way.

The female vampire has also made me Jasper's partner in training the newborns. That in itself is making me wonder if she is planning on sparing my life, but I have decided that I am not going to put any hope into it. However, Jasper has been unusually talkative and close with me as of late instead of distancing himself like I expected, and that is causing the beginnings of hope to blossom within me. Despite that, I fight it and make sure that I am well prepared in the instance that Maria does order Jasper to kill me.

Two weeks pass and the training becomes more vicious as more newborns join our ranks; more humans surviving the bite and becoming a creature of the dark. Now, my arms are littered with silvery scars that match Jasper's, and I find myself wondering if I would still be alive right now if I were still human. Those thoughts lead on to that of my daughter, and I feel a wave of pain wash over me at the mere thought of her. It has been almost a year since I left, and she would be turning three very soon. I have barely thought of her in the past months, and it makes me feel like a worse mother than I did the night I left.

Sitting outside only days before my year is up, I am too caught up in the wonder of the starry night that I miss Jasper walking out until he is sitting beside me. "Damn! Jasper, you scared me!"

The honey blond grins at me, amusement twinkling in his blood red eyes. "Sorry, ma'am. I meant no harm."

"It's alright. It's not your fault. I was too caught up in memorising the stars."

"You're sad. What's wrong, darlin'?"

"My daughter turned three last week. I missed her birthday again."

"Do you want to see her?"

Jasper stands and I look up at him to see his hand held out towards me. Hesitantly, I place my hand in his and stand, searching his red eyes for a hint of deception. When I see none, a small smile grows on my face, and the next second the landscape is blurring past as we run across the open plains in the darkness. Minutes later, my hometown comes into view and I freeze, causing Jasper to stumble slightly, his worried red eyes looking down at me as he takes in my frozen, emotionless state. Swallowing on instinct, I force my feet to move; placing one foot in front of the other as I walk into the town I haven't seen for a year.

Everything is exactly the same, and my eyes are instantly drawn to the small alley where Jasper and Maria - mere strangers at the time - saved my life. Jasper follows my gaze and a thin smile appears on his face, but rage glimmers in his red eyes as the events of that day traverse his mind. Sucking in a breath, I make my way through the town, Jasper's hand slipping from my own as he trails behind me, eyes flickering around and making sure that there is no one who harbours ill will towards us.

A few corners later, I stop in front of my old house - the distinct scent of my daughter wafting from the wooden building, and the almost sickening smell of my husband and another woman. A growl rumbles in my chest, and Jasper's echoes it as he picks up the mixture of aromas. I am not opposed to my husband having moved on, but the smell of the woman is too pungent to be only recent; it smells like she has been here for years, and that can mean only one thing - my husband was having an affair with another woman whilst we were married.

Forcing myself to ignore their combined stench, I walk into the house and make my way to a small room that has been added onto the back of the house, near the laundry and kitchen. Opening the frail door, I almost let out a horrified scream at what I see. My daughter is laying on a bed of rags - her clothes not being much better - and there are marks criss-crossing her pale, almost translucent, skin. Falling to my knees beside her, I gently pull her into my arms and hold her close, feeling her bones dig into my skin. Behind me, Jasper lets out a low snarl and grips the door too tight, making where he's holding it splinter.

"I'm getting her out of here," I growl lowly, standing and turning to Jasper. "She is going to die if she stays here."

Jasper's eyes are pained, but he nods. "I know a place."

That is how Jasper and I end up in Houston, Texas. He tells me that it's where he grew up, and that he knows a good family for Jaida to stay with. I merely nod, agreeing with him, too caught up in the warmth my daughter is exerting, and fighting the undeniable urge to tear her throat open and drain all the blood from her small body. In my arms, the three-year-old squirms, and I know that she is going to be waking up soon - my body temperature not ideal for a sleeping child. The instant she opens her hazel eyes, they widen and she reaches for my face.

Her small hand brushes my cheek and she smiles. "Mama."

Jasper freezes at the sound, his red eyes moving to the three-year-old.

"Hey, baby," I murmur, tears stinging my eyes. "I'm back."

Jaida looks over at Jasper. "Who he?"

"That's Jasper. He's mama's friend."

Jaida makes grabby motions at Jasper, wanting him to hold her. Smiling, I hold her out for Jasper to take, but he doesn't move. Stepping closer to the honey blond, I press her against his chest and his arms instinctively come up to hold her small body. With that, I remove my arms from Jaida and watch as the man I have feelings for holds my daughter oh so gently in his arms. Jasper continues to walk down the street, smiling softly as Jaida plays with his almost shoulder length honey blonde hair, and glances up every few seconds to make sure he's still heading the right way.

Almost a hundred metres later, Jasper slows to a stop in front of a relatively nice house, looking through the illuminated window to see a man and a woman sitting down having a meal. Briefly closing his eyes, he steps up to the door and knocks on it four times. The fourth knock resonates as I step up beside him, waiting for the door to open. When it does, a young couple are standing there, their eyes widening at the sight of Jasper.

"Jasper?" the man breathes in wonder, eyes flickering over Jaida and myself. "What are you doing here? We thought you were dead."

Jasper shakes his head, smiling slightly at the couple. "I'm not dead."

"Who is she?"

"This is Kaya Salvatore and her daughter, Jaida. They need your help."

The woman steps forward. "Salvatore? You're the girl who went missing a year ago."

I bite back the urge to growl. "I ran away. My husband was having an affair, and I couldn't stand to be there. I regret leaving Jaida behind with him. He has neglected and abused her."

"Why return now?"

"I'm dying, and I wanted to see my daughter one last time. I'm glad I am, because she would have been dead by next year had I not gone and brought her here. So, please, can you help us?"

The man looks between Jasper, Jaida and I before sighing. "What can we help you with, Miss Salvatore?"

Squeezing my eyes shut, I let out a breath I didn't know that I had been holding. "I would like you to raise her as your own. Jasper informed me that you can both be trusted, and will take good care of her."

The couple share a look, appearing to decide on whether or not to accept the responsibility of looking after a child, but I can see that there minds were made up the second the plea left my lips. Jasper looks down at me with an encouraging smile, and I can't fight the responding smile that grows on my lips. Looking back at the couple, they both nod, and the woman holds her arms out, awaiting the weight of the three-year-old child.

Jasper hands Jaida over to the woman, and she smiles down at the three-year-old. "Look after her like you did me. Please."


	10. 𝓼𝓲𝔁

**vi. instances of fate**

The sun rises above the distant mountains, and the day that I've been dreading has come. Looking over at Jasper, I see his red eyes smile at me as if he hasn't a clue what day it is, and I feel dread beginning to pool in my gut. What exactly is going to happen today? Am I going to live or die? The questions pile up inside me, and I know Jasper can feel my unease and conflict, but he's not giving me anything to go on. Biting my lip, I sit in the sunlight and soak it up as much as I can just in case this is my final day.

Hour pass, and Maria calls Jasper and I in to train the newborns.

A newborn not much younger than me stands across from me, and I instantly know that today is going to be a test to see which newborns stay, and which ones Jasper is required to dispose of. In a blink, the young being launches at me - his form is good, but his aim is severely off. I easily step to the side to prevent myself from getting hit, but, at the last possible second, he hits the ground and spins, darting towards me. Impressed, I wrap my hand around his throat and slam him against the hard ground, having slight trouble keeping the struggling newborn from escaping my hold.

Maria smiles.

He passes.

I release him and he instantly jumps at me, burying his teeth into my neck and attempting to bite my head off. Snarling, I tear him off my body and throw him at Jasper, who catches the newborn by the back of the neck and then slams him face-first against the ground. Raising my hand to my throat, I feel a wound, but no blood. Under my hand, it heals, but I know that there is going to be an everlasting scar. The newborn raises his head and glares at me, causing Jasper's eyes to flicker to Maria before the honey blond easily rips off the head of the vampire under him.

Jasper tosses the head over the other side of the stable and then walks over to me, his ruby eyes trained on my throat - more specifically, the new scar that will be added to the assortment I already have. Gritting my teeth, I fight the urge to yell at the feeling of the newborn's venom spreading through my body. Jasper feels my pain and instantly backs away, knowing that the next person who touches me is going to end up dead, without a doubt.

A young girl moves to stand in front of me, her red eyes wary, and I know that I cannot kill her. Her name is Eunice, and she was only turned two days ago. Almost reluctantly, she charges at me, feigning an attack at my head to raise my defence so she can deliver a sharp strike to my abdomen. I accept the feint, but move faster than her and block the strike to my abdomen, catching her wrists and flipping her. In response, she forces her body around and drags me with her. Grinning, I follow and throw her to the ground, my foot ending up resting on her neck as her red eyes stare up at me with fright.

Maria walks over to us and looks down at the petite newborn. "You're skilled in combat."

Eunice flinches lightly but still shakes her head. "No, ma'am. I was just following my instincts. I've never fought a day in my life."

"You're a natural."

Hours pass and soon the sun dips below the mountains once again, and the feeling in my gut worsens when I see Maria whispering into Jasper's ear so low that none of us can hear her - even with our enhanced hearing. His red eyes dart over to me for a second before moving to a young boy - perhaps fourteen or fifteen - and sadness appears in their depths. Someone is going to die tonight, and someone is going to live. That much I am aware of, and I have already accepted my death if it is to happen.

Jasper walks over to me and holds out his hand, his red eyes unreadable and almost emotionless. There's a small flicker of pain in them. Not hesitating, I take his hand and allow him to pull me up off the ground, and then out into the cool night air. Once out, he releases my hand and then walks back into the stable. Moments later, he returns with the young teenager, a joking smile on the taller male's face, while the younger and shorter of the two laughing at something Jasper had said.

They sit beside me, the young boy in-between Jasper and myself, and I can't help the smile that grows on my face at the innocence of the newborn, but it's a pitying smile. He is unaware of the rules Maria has made in order to keep her army strong and taking the territories of the south for her own. It's a harsh rule, but that's the cost of warfare. The loss of lives is merely a fact and a given in war. 

At those thoughts, I feel horror rush through my system, and then Jasper's sympathetic gaze move to me. Shaking my head as if to loosen the indifferent thoughts that have grown in my mind, I give my infatuation a reassuring smile. 

As soon as that smile recedes from my face, Jasper pulls the young vampire against his chest and wraps his right arm around the younger's neck, the latter's hands moving up to claw at Jasper's arm. The honey blond's eyes fill with pain as he tightens his hold on the darker haired boy. I take hold of the newborn's head and rip it from his body, watching as the body in Jasper's arms goes limp and falls to the ground as Jasper releases it.

His face turns pained and all I can do is hold him.


	11. 𝓼𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓷

**vii. why was it me?**

All I can think about it the pain in Jasper's eyes, and it makes me sick just knowing that he has no choice but to feel the pain and suffering of each and every individual that dies around him. I cannot imagine what it must be like to be him, and I wish that - just for a while - be in his shoes and save him from the pain around him. Forcing myself to not look at the body, I pull Jasper into a hug and hold his almost limp body tightly. Slowly, his arms lift up to wrap themselves around my middle, holding me against him.

"I wish you didn't have to feel everything - even if it's just for a day," I murmur. "I wish I could take it away from you so you could live without feeling everything - even if it's just for a day."

Jasper sighs, tightening his hold on me. "Even if you had the ability to take mine away, I would not want you to. I fear that it would destroy you, darlin'."

"I wouldn't mind."

"Kaya..."

At the sound of my name leaving his lips, I force myself out of his arms and stand, staring down into his ruby red eyes. Giving him a small smile, I brush his honey blond hair from where it has moved onto his face, and a tingling sensation sparks along my arm. Freezing as Jasper's eyes widen, my arm falls limp by my side and my head begins to feel light. Closing my eyes, I step away from Jasper and the dead boy as a wave of concern and fright washes over me.

I open my eyes and meet Jasper's, a smile gracing my face once again as I feel confusion batter against my being - Jasper's confusion. It takes him a moment, but when he figures it out, he climbs to his feet and looks at me with awe, as well as me feeling his disbelief and wonder washing over me. His red eyes search my face and a hesitant smile grows on his face, not sure whether my ability is a blessing or a curse.

"I can't feel your emotions," Jasper muses, brushing his fingers against my hand. "It feels strange. Can you feel mine?"

Closing my eyes, I focus on separating my emotions from Jasper's. "Yes. I can feel everything you feel, and it's beautiful."

"What do you feel?"

"Confusion. Awe. Infatuation. Disbelief. Wonder. Adoration. Love." A frown makes its way onto my face at the sudden shift in his emotions. "Guilt. Betrayal. Hatred. Disgust. Fear. Insanity. Hunger. Envy. Hurt. Regret. Distrust. Thirst. Pain. Strife. Death."

My eyes fly open and I suck in a sharp breath, falling back onto the log I was previously sitting on. Jasper's eyes widen and his worry stings like ice water as he sits down beside me, his hand holding mine tightly. Even though I have no need to breathe, I start to do so raggedly - uneven and sharp. His emotions are overwhelming, and I can feel everything he's felt past and present. Right now, his guilt is surfacing at allowing himself to be so blind as to not have realised that I also have an ability.

My body begins to shake, fear taking precedence over every other emotion within my being - Jasper's included, but his fear could be mingling with mine and creating a dangerous beast unable to be tamed. Squeezing my eyes shut, I bend over and raise my hands to hold my head, wordless pleas leaving my lips in sharp breaths. Jasper's hands cover mine and the sensation from before sparks in my arms, my body freezing for a second before I seemingly become boneless and collapse into Jasper's arms.

Jasper sucks in a sharp breath and his arms land on my back, holding my trembling being against his marble torso. "You alright, darlin'?"

I shakily nod my head. "Yes. I am fine. I just wasn't expecting it to be that... overwhelming, is all."

"You should not have done that."

"I didn't mean to. I didn't even know I could do that. I just felt the urge to... do something."

"Well, considering that we now know what you can do, we have to see if there's anything else you can do with it."

I pull away from him and give him a disbelieving look. "I can take another vampire's powers. Is that not enough?"

Jasper smiles lightly. "When I found out what I could do, I could only feel people's emotions, but I discovered that I can also influence emotions as well."

"What are you saying, Jasper?"

"I am saying that you may be able to take more than just their powers, or you may even be able to merely share their powers instead of fully taking them."

Shaking my head, I stand and walk away from Jasper, much to his obvious distress. The cool air of the night makes me shiver lightly, but it's a better alternative than facing the hopeful eyes of Jasper. There's nothing I can do in a war-torn country like this, and there's nothing I can do to stop this inevitable cycle of death and rebirth. Vampire armies are continuous, and there is no escaping the bloodshed in this world.

In this world of pain, there's no escaping the loss of someone you love - or even feeling the satisfaction, yet regret, of someone you despise. The feeling of losing someone is devastation - a word that is commonly associated with the destruction left in the wake of a disaster. Whilst that may be correct, physical devastation is not the same animal as emotional or psychological devastation. That kind of devastation will leave scars on the soul and on the heart, and it will tear even the most tight-knit people apart under the most dire and extreme of circumstances.

In this world where there are many people to choose from, I was the one who ended up in that alley all those years ago; I was the one that Jasper and Maria ended up saving; I was forced to leave my daughter behind in order to protect her. Why was it me? Was I chosen for this? This being I have become has twisted my morals and made me begin to see the world under a different lens - a lens where destruction and murder is the way of life.

Then again, it may be a good thing. I am a vampire, and murder is a part of my life whether I like it or not. I may as well just accept it and live my life - well, un-life - as best I can without mortal limitations. This ability I have may just allow me to do that, and whatever remaining time I have left on this earth can be spent enjoying what I am rather than wallowing in a time gone by that I can no longer return to.


	12. 𝓮𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽

**viii. this world of war**

Decades have passed, and the years I was new to being a vampire were labelled as the American Civil War by many countries, and ended up dividing America beyond recognition. Now, it's the early nineteen hundreds, and another war is on the brink of happening. Over a decade ago, I felt someone being born into this world when I borrowed an ability from a particularly dangerous vampire, and I knew that something was going to come in the way of Jasper's future with our coven - it was going to tear him away from it.

While also having that ability, I saw red eyes, powdery skin and black cloaks. They are in my future, and I know that there is nothing I can do to avoid it. They will come looking for me, and it won't be until Jasper has left this coven.

Newborns have died too much for Jasper, and he's started to become savage from the pain. However, that did not prevent him from befriending a newborn named Peter. He is skilled in combat, and his senses are almost paralleled to mine and Jasper's. Jasper managed to convince Maria to keep Peter alive because of his advanced combat skills and kindred spirit, and surprisingly she agreed to Jasper's wishes.

"Jasper," I call, skipping over to him and slipping my arms around his neck. "What are we going to do today?"

The honey blond looks down at me, his eyes dark as coal and his skin more pale than usual.

"Jasper, what the devil? You need to feed!"

Without waiting for a response, I pull him from our current residence out onto the streets of the early twentieth century, slipping my arm through his and almost dragging him along the dark street. While he's too caught up in his thoughts, I briefly close my eyes and siphon his ability - releasing him from the emotions flying around the paved streets of the small town. At that, his eyes dart to me and a small, thankful smile appears on his face - one I'm already returning the instant he looks at me.

Over the decades, Jasper and I have been having what people call 'fornication' due to our unmarried states. However, it has not been constant - or even really existing. To be completely honest, they've been more along the lines of... stress relievers in a way. This new world may be slightly more accepting of relationships outside of marriages, but they're in no way accepting of sleeping with someone outside the boundaries of a marriage. Due to that, everyone who sees Jasper and I together acting overly affectionate are informed that we're 'engaged' - which usually leads to congratulations and questions about how we met, among other things.

I am pulled from my thoughts by an overly potent scent, and Jasper's head snaps towards the smell. Instantly, we speed to the source and find a young, homeless girl bleeding to death on the side of the street. Kneeling down beside her trembling form, I assure her that Jasper and I can end the pain. She agrees - even though she never really had a choice - and we instantly lunge at her, biting down and draining the life force from her body.

Her pain floods my body and I bite down harder, focusing on the delight and desperation pulsing from Jasper's being only a foot away from me, and manipulate her pain into relief. When she is closer to death, real relief floods the young girls' body and she relaxes underneath us, thankfulness battering against my being and allowing me to stop manipulating her emotions. My eyes dart over to her face and she meets my gaze, giving me a thankful smile and mouthing "thank you" to me. All I do is blink, unable to do anything else - much less comprehend the situation.

Too soon she is dry, and I pull away, looking over at Jasper desperately trying to get more from her body. "Jasper, she's empty."

He reluctantly straightens up, looking over at me with almost red eyes, but doesn't say anything.

"Come on. We'll find someone else."

That's exactly what we do - find another wretched soul and end its existence. It's the best we can do in a dead-end town like this one, and it's all Jasper can bear to do these days. Due to the vast amount of newborns having to be killed, the honey blond has become depressed and is beginning to go insane from the guilt eating him alive. I know that something is going to cause him to snap one of these years, and it's going to force him to leave our coven.

I saw a child - my child - growing up in the later half of this century, but not at the normal rate of a human child. They grew at a speed unlike any other - ageing almost three years in a single, human year. That future makes me uneasy because everyone knows that vampires are incapable of reproducing - lest they sleep with a human and produce an offspring that is neither human nor vampire, but a mixture of both.

Over the years, I've heard about the birth of such beasts who killed their mothers, and they never lived past their first birthday. In that respect, they are similar to the newborns that Maria turns - they never make it to their second year.

Just as Jasper and I start to leave the town, bells sound and instantly alert the humans to the beginning of their war - their first war; the Great War. Jasper goes rigid next to me, and I instantly feel his unease and fear. This war is going to draft vampires and humans alike, and thus there are going to be more newborns for the slaughter. 

The human world and the vampire world are soon to be mingled beyond differentiation, and there are going to be a multitude of deaths on both sides.


	13. 𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓮

**ix. the welcoming committee**

Four long years of death and bloodshed, but for what? Countless humans, vampires and werewolves alike are dead, and the world is still shattering bit by bit every single day. Despite my assistance, from the look in Jasper's eyes, it's not going to be much longer before he leaves our coven; leaves me and Maria. Hundreds of newborns died during the war, and we were forced to feel the repercussions of all the deaths - not just the newborns, but the entirety of those who fell no matter which side they were on.

Majority of the time, I siphoned Jasper's ability without him knowing, and allowed him to be able to fight without feeling the world of pain around him. In turn, that made me incapacitated from the sheer amount of pain and grief and suffering that this war was causing everyone - not just those fighting, but those in the trenches who had to bandage and amputate and sterilise every single wound. Though it was a time where Jasper and my kind could feed and kill without anyone batting an eye, it still caused untold pain and suffering from those around them.

To this day, almost a decade after the war, in what everyone is deeming as a 'depression', the world is slowly re-building itself despite the crash of the economy that shattered absolutely everything - and whose after effects are still being felt in the southern states of what is now called 'North America'. The world is becoming even more dangerous with yet another levee threatening to break and let loose another war. As much as I wish I could prevent it, I know that there is no stopping the next war that will occur in just over a decades time. I hated being able to see what is to happen, but it's allowed me to be able to prepare for the oncoming battles that the future holds.

The war took many lives - including the life of the man I entrusted my daughter to. Over the past decades, I'd made sure to keep in contact with them via letters that I would place in the Houston post office once a week, and pick up their replies from the there almost as soon as they were sent. Jaida was the only one I told the truth to - that I am a vampire, and I can't stay in one place too long; that I can never see her again. Since the invention of the camera, a photograph has been included in each letter, and I'm proud to say that she looks more like me than she does her father - whom I sincerely hope is dead.

Despite the fact I told Jaida that I could never see her again, I cannot bear the thought of it. I asked for her address in my last letter, and received the reply that she is still living in the house I left her at - with a husband and two children, one named Jasper and one named Kaya. She told me that it was so she would not forget what Jasper and I did for her, and I almost burst into tears reading that letter. Jasper - my Jasper - instantly picked up on my mood and dashed over, his blood red eyes reading the shaking letter in my ice cold hands. All he did was smile and announce that he would accompany me across the plains that lead to Houston, Texas.

That leads us to where we are now, running across dirt and sparsely vegetated farm lands - in the middle of the night - that were not there a century ago according to Jasper, but are prospering despite the small amount of rain they receive here. As the town clock strikes 9 in the evening, the honey blond male and I draw to a stop in front of the house we haven't seen for fifty years. He is the one to give me a reassuring smile and knock on the door before I can stop him.

At the sound of the door opening, I freeze as a middle aged woman opens the door, revealing her dark auburn hair and hazel eyes. "Yes, how may I help you?"

My words catch in my throat and my mouth hovers open, unable to speak.

Jasper smiles at her. "Jaida Masters, I presume, ma'am?"

The woman - Jaida - nods sharply, her eyes darting between us. "You presume correctly, sir. Now, if I may ask again-"

"I'm your mother," I blurt, causing both Jasper and Jaida to look at me - Jasper in shock, and Jaida in disbelief. "Do you remember me, baby? Do you remember your mama?"

Almost instantly, the strong woman before my eyes dissolves into tears and I lunge forward to catch her as her legs weaken and can no longer hold up her weight. Nudging the door open, I walk in with her still in my arms, and head to the small sitting room, Jasper following behind me after shutting the door. At the sound of her tears, two sets of footsteps hurry down the stairs, and I look up to see the spitting image of myself - if I had aged since I was nineteen, that is - rush into the sitting room, a male following her in.

"Mother?" the girl - Kaya, I correct myself - asks worriedly, hurrying over to Jaida's side. "Mother, what is it? Are you alright?"

The male surveys Jasper and I apprehensively. "This is your doing, is it not? My mother is in hysterics because of your arrival. I shall ask you to leave at once!"

"Jasper," Jaida and I admonish, my mothering instincts coming to the surface, causing both Jasper's to look at me in disbelief.

"Sit down, my son," Jaida requests, sitting up on the small lounge and wiping her eyes with her handkerchief. "There is something I must tell you - both of you."

Kaya and Jasper - my grandchildren - sit across from Jaida and myself, and my Jasper hesitantly sits beside me, his hand moving to grip mine tightly. At that, I take his ability and allow him to relax slightly, but cause myself to tense as I feel Jasper's hunger. Once everyone is quiet, Jaida weaves the tale of her colourful life - of how her father neglected her and her step-mother abused her, of how her mother returned when she was on the brink of death and brought her to this very house with the assistance of someone she met during the war - who Jaida's adoptive parents could tell that her mother adored above all else.

That comment earns amusement from Jasper, and - if it were possible - I would have a face as red as blood.

Jaida continues to tell her story, captivating her children as well as Jasper and myself - even though we know everything that has happened in the past fifty years of her life. The highs and the lows; the loves and the heartbreaks; and the grief and the joy. She tells it all without a moment of hesitation within herself or in her voice. By the end, all her children can do is stare at their wondrous mother in disbelief - unable to comprehend the story that has been painted in their minds.

"There is something else you would do well to know - and to keep secret, my children," Jaida warns, her ageing voice wavering. "Your grandmother and that life-saving man are still alive to this day, and you know them."

Kaya's eyes dart to my Jasper and myself, the pieces clicking together in her head. Almost instantly, her eyes fill with tears and she throws herself into my arms. "Nanna. Grandfather Jasper."

My grandson Jasper can't help mirroring his twin sister and pulling both myself and his namesake into a hug. However, unlike his twin, he can't manage a single word.

The honey blond freezes at the word before his name, and his blood red eyes are filling with tears and shock. "G-Grandfather...?"

Jaida smiles at us. "Jasper, you helped my mother save my life. Why would I not give you the honour of being the one grandfather that they could know, and how could I not name my own son after that very same man?"

I look over at my Jasper and smile as I see him hold Kaya gently. "You would have made a great father. I can see that now."

"Miss Salvatore." Jasper's embarrassment washes over me.

"Considering you saved me as well, I can only imagine what you would have done to protect your own flesh and blood."


	14. 𝓽𝓮𝓷

**x. the end of the war**

The day I receive the letter that Jaida has passed away is the day my whole world crashes and burns around me, and all I can do was watch. Kaya, Jasper and I have stayed in contact over the years after our meeting, and they told my story - our story - to their children to make sure they knew my Jasper and I would always be welcome under their roof. It is late 1937, almost 1938, when I receive the letter, and it's only the beginning of the destruction of my world.

Jasper instantly knows what's wrong when he feels nothing coming from me - no sadness, no grief - just numbness. "Kaya, I'm so sorry."

I merely shake my head. "Jaida lived a happy life, and I got to see her one last time before she died. I got to see my grandchildren - our grandchildren, Jasper."

"I'm not..."

"Do you know what his full name is?"

"No."

"Jasper Whitlock Masters the First. His son is Jasper Whitlock Masters the Second, and that name will continue throughout history because our story will live on, and I will make sure they know that it is the truth - that we do exist."

At the mention of his name being given to my grandchildren, the honey blond completely shatters in front of me. He falls to his knees and I cradle his head in my lap, running my fingers through his curly hair and humming an old lullaby I used to sing to Jaida. A second voice harmonises with mine in the hymn, and I look over to see Maria sit beside us, her hand resting on Jasper's shoulder. At her appearance, I can't help but share Jasper's ability to get a feel of her emotions.

Fear and distrust.

Earlier this year, Jasper allowed Peter and a newborn named Charlotte to escape - to flee this wretched coven and find solace somewhere up north. That is why Maria is feeling these emotions, and it's also why I know that she is going to attempt to turn her newborns against him. By the look in Jasper's eyes, and the fear and awareness floating around him, I know that his mind has already made those links, and, despite his reluctance to do anything to the woman who made him, he already knows that he is going to be able to get to them first and turn them against her.

By the beginning of next year, this coven is going to be ripped apart by a central figure, and I will be forced to watch as he leaves to go be with Peter and Charlotte in the north. It is then that the people with red eyes and powdery skin and black cloaks will come for me because news of my ability will have spread further than America, all the way to Europe and Australasia. My ability is singular, and I have discovered that I can take physical attributes from anything - not just abilities from vampires. That has allowed me to know how a child will be born from me despite my frozen state.

Hours later, after Jasper has been calmed and fed, we sit outside the mansion we are currently living in. Jasper was debating on cutting his hair short once again now that the time for men with long hair has passed earlier, and I surprise him by pulling out a pair of barber scissors, brandishing them like a deadly weapon whilst giving him an evil grin. All the honey blonde does is smile and turn his back to me, allowing me to have complete control on how short his hair is going to be.

Pausing for a second, I envision the hairstyle that would best suit him and instantly begin severing his hair from his head. I speed around him at vampire speed, stopping every few seconds to lightly stab his hand if it wanders around my body. He's been extremely touchy since he broke down earlier, and it's not that I mind, but I am currently cutting his hair, and I really don't want to ruin it.

I cut the final strand and grin before running into the mansion to grab a mirror. Skidding to a stop in front of him, I hold the reflective surface up and allow him to finally see himself. He has never seen himself in a mirror because he doesn't want to see the monster that he has become reflected back at him, but this is an instance where he deserves to see that he is beautiful and is not the monster he has been forced to become in order to survive being in this coven.

Jasper's ruby red eyes widen in disbelief, and his hand slowly reaches up to brush through his short hair. "This is beautiful, darlin'. Thank you."

I give him a devilish grin. "What are best friends for, Jazz?"

At those words, his face falls. "Friends? Is that what we are?"

"What else could we possibly be?" I lower the mirror and place it on the ground, the scissors on top of it. "We're not together; we're just each other's stress relievers, and that's not a relationship. It's fornication, and it's an unhealthy habit to get into."

"Miss Kaya Salvatore, I am head over heels for you, darlin', and that's not going to change."

"Major Jasper Whitlock, I feel the same about you."

"What's wrong?"

"I've seen the future, Jazz. Nothing comes of this. I am sorry." Without waiting for a reply, I pick up the mirror and the scissors and run into the mansion. I miss the look of misery on Jasper's face, but I can still feel his emotions battering against my body. "I am so very sorry, my love."

The mansion we are living in is not paid for - nor will it ever be paid for. Having a vampire with the ability to compel is extraordinary, and has allowed me to steal his ability for the rest of time. That is something else - if I take all of an individual's ability or attribute and not return it, I am able to retain that ability or attribute without losing my own siphoning ability.


	15. 𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓷

**xi. red-eyed volturi**

Just as I saw in the vision three decades ago, this coven is in pieces and very few newborns remain alive. Maria is furious at the desolation and destruction, and I am far away from her - currently pregnant with Jasper's only child. I never believed it possible to have another child due to becoming a vampire, but I was proven wrong by my ability when I siphoned that vampire's ability to see into his own future.

I had siphoned a girls' ability to have children one night, and it was Jasper's final night with this coven - the night that he spent with me before leaving to head up north. That night was a month ago, and it's not even a week later that a man with red eyes and powdery skin in a black cloak appears in the middle of the night in search of me. He takes one look at me and holds out his hand, beckoning me.

"My name is Afton," the tall man greets, giving me a small bow. "I am here to take you to the Volturi. Our leaders would like a word with you."

I tilt my head in recognition. "From your accent I can tell that we will be leaving America. For how long exactly will I be required to stay?"

"It is difficult to say, Miss Salvatore."

"Very well. There is nothing left for me here."  _Lie_. I have Kaya and Jasper - my grandchildren - but they will understand from the letter I wrote them the other day.

Afton and I instantly make our way through the night, heading in a northerly direction. He informs me that we will be in South Carolina by sunrise, and that I will not see Texas again for as long as time will allow. I merely nod in acceptance, not feeling any desire to turn and run back to the state that has both built me up and torn me down. I will not miss the place where I grew and lived and learned - and loved another so much that it consumed me.

The sun rises above the horizon and the light dances across the brilliant blue expanse that I've been informed is called the ocean. My blood red eyes take in the array of colour that I've not seen in such large quantities, and let out a breath of wonder. Except, the one colour on the horizon that I've seen is red. The battlefields of the past century were bathed in the colour, and is the colour of our sustenance; the blood of the humans.

Hours pass like mere seconds as we fly over the endless blue expanse in what humans call an aeroplane. It's rickety and uncomfortable, but I do not doubt that they will become more luxurious as time goes on. After all, it is only the 1930's, and the world has only just begun to turn itself around - through inducing another war, no less. Whilst that plays on my mind, the ocean soon gives way to land before returning to the expanse once again. The next time it passes over land, it touches down for its final destination in Italy.

Here, it is almost mid-morning, and people are starting to bustle around the streets. With no halting, Afton pulls the hood of his dark cloak over his head and strides out of the building. Pulling up the hood of my old, black cloak - that is, somehow, still in one piece - I follow the older vampire out to where a car with blacked out windows is waiting, a dark skinned man holding open the door for me. Almost as soon as I slip inside, the door is closed and Afton lowers his hood, signalling for me to do the same.

Looking out the windows, I can't help but marvel at the beauty of the city. The French Renaissance impacted Italy and drove it to evolve alongside it, creating prospering nations of unadulterated beauty and peace. My mind buzzes with the possibility of creating a life here, and I almost miss that we've pulled up - my thoughts being cut short as the door to the car opens. On instinct, I cover my head with the hood of my cloak and step out, waiting for my companion to do the same. Once he does, the large gilded, wooden doors before us swing open and the two of us walk in, indifferent to the sound of the dark skinned man's screams behind us as the heavy door shuts.

Inside, Afton removes his hood, but I do not - unwilling to bare myself in unknown territory without knowing that I am safe. I follow Afton through the labyrinth that is soon to become familiar to me, and pause beside him outside another set of heavy wooden doors. Soon enough, a powerful voice commands for us to enter. In doing so, I am greeted by the sight of almost three dozen red-eyed, powdery-skin vampires dressed in black garb. As my eyes flicker to the three chairs placed above all the vampires, my entire body freezes at the appearance of three beings emanating wave upon wave of power and control - and I have to fight my instinct to flee, and my instinct to fall to my knees under their brilliant red gazes.

The vampire in the middle stands and walks down the steps leading to the podium, and I can clearly see that he is dressed in an entirely black suit. "Welcome, welcome. It is such a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Salvatore. I have heard much about you."

Pushing back my hood, I eye his outstretched hand warily before hesitantly taking it. In that instant, his other hand moves on top of mine and he steps closer, his red eyes downcast for a second before looking straight into my matching eyes. An expression that I can only call glee spreads across his face, but that's before it is replaced with complete and utter wonder as his eyes move to my abdomen. Instantly, I snatch my hand from his and take several steps away from him.

"How unbelievably extraordinary," the man breathes, instantly gaining the attention of the other two men still seated on the podium. "You are carrying a child conceived while you were a vampire."

The blonde vampire stands from his seat, and gives off an aura of almost pure rage. "That is impossible! No such thing has ever existed!"

"This child has the ability to siphon anything from another individual - without limitations of any kind."

"A siphoner?" the older brunette still seated asks in wonder, his red eyes glimmering brightly as they turn to me. "How rare."

"You will be a lovely addition to this coven," the black haired vampire assures, his hands clasped in front of his chest. "How would you like to join us, my dear?"

This time, I feel no hesitation in what I do. Stepping forward, I stand resolute before the three elder vampires. "I would be honoured."


	16. 𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓵𝓿𝓮

**xii. world of abilities**

Since joining the Volturi, I have met an array of vampires from many different times and parts of the world. However, many originate from what is now known as the Middle East and also from other parts of Europe, and their accents have almost faded and are being replaced with Italian ones. I've become close with the twins, Jane and Alec, the physically strongest of the Volturi, Felix, the tracker by sensing the terrors of one's mind, Demetri, and the girl who controls alliances, Chelsea, as well as her mate, who has the ability to make himself invisible, Afton.

I have learned that Aro - the man with the black hair who greeted me - has the ability to read every single thought that I've had throughout my entire life, and that Marcus - the long haired brunette - has the ability of relationship identification, which tells of the relationship that exists between two beings no matter their species.

My pregnancy has almost come to full term, and I can feel her moving inside me. They all ask me how I know that my child is a girl, and I tell them the truth - that I siphoned a vampire's ability to see into his own future and saw my own. That brings up memories of my time with Jasper in the dusty plains of Texas, and the years we spent living in the mansions we compelled from their former owners - as well as the last time I saw him walking into the dark of the night.

Only a second after his smile appears in my mind's eye, pain shoots through my body and my eyes roll back into my head as my legs give out. All I can hear is Jane and Chelsea screaming my name, and Alec yelling for someone to get Marcus. Felix's arms are holding me tightly and I am being held against his marble chest. As such, I make the assumption that he caught me before I hit the ground. Seconds later, we are moving, and then I am lain on a soft surface as pain flows through me.

In my head, I curse everything good that has happened to me - I curse Jasper to no end. But I know that I cannot put all the blame on him as my becoming this monster was not his doing, but Maria's. Then again, not all the blame rests on her either. The majority of it rests on my mother - who mutilated me in the hopes that I would not produce children so she could sell me to men by the night in order to support our family. 

That's where the blame lies - on my very own flesh and blood.

Amidst the hatred and pain, I cling on to the love I have for Jasper despite the fact that he left me to burn in the coven he tore apart. All I can do is pray this child looks like him so I have something else to remember him by than the heartbreak and grief that has made its home inside my body. As the screams and begging for me to push continue, I find myself slipping away into a world without pain - a world that has a man with blood red eyes and short, honey blond hair; a world that makes me cry.

What feels like seconds later, but must be hours, a shrill cry mingles in with my screams and cries. Breaths of relief sound around me and I look over to see a petite blonde smiling softly at me, a bloody, crying mass in her arms. Sitting up, I gently take the child from Jane and smile down at my daughter, watching as her eyes open as soon as my arms are holding her. They're a blood red, and it makes everyone around me suck in a sharp breath.

"I just gave birth to a pure blooded vampire," I murmur in disbelief, looking up to see Jane and Chelsea staring at both my child and myself with wonder.

"She's beautiful," Jane breathes. "What's her name, Kaya?"

"I haven't picked one. What do you think?"

Chelsea smiles at me, her red eyes twinkling. "How about 'Kathleen'? It's Gaelic for pure and unsullied."

Jane tilts her head. "Kathleen. I like it. What about you, Kaya?"

Looking down at my daughter, memories run through my mind of the time Jasper and I were debating baby names when he accidentally insulted my daughter's name. "Kathleen."

My daughter's eyes shine and she smiles up at me, giggling and making grabby motions with her hands.

"She likes it," Marcus informs, making me look up to see him in the doorway. "She is already attached to you, Miss Salvatore, as you are to her. Another thing, Kathleen is attached to her father, even though she's never met him."

At the mention of Jasper, I feel my heart break and my happiness dissipate. Pain fills my chest and my eyes begin to burn with tears, eliciting looks and exclamations of shock from the vampires in the room. Marcus' expression turns pained as he identifies the relationship that once existed between Jasper and myself - or the one that still exists. It must still exist for me to react the way I am.

"I wish he didn't leave," I grit out, feeling every single pair of eyes move to me. "He could be here with us; he could be a part of the Volturi. He's the only one of his kind that I've met in my eighty-five years."

"What ability does he have?" Aro asks almost hesitantly, his red eyes flickering over my daughter and myself. "He sounds interesting."

"He has the ability to feel and manipulate emotions. They have a name for that now - pathokinesis."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, readers.
> 
> Well, that was intense... I've never writing a birth scene before, and I've never seen or heard anyone giving birth unless it's on a movie, so I'm hoping that mine is as accurate as can be.
> 
> I know that I've currently cut Jasper out of this story, but he is going to come back into it very soon - right about the time I get to the 1950's, which is the decade where Jasper and Alice join with the Cullen family.
> 
> Also, just curious, how are you liking this book so far? I mean, I know it's one hell of a mess, but I'm trying my best to make it a story that people on this site want to read. So, let me know what you think and any changes or improvements/alterations I can make to this story to make it better?
> 
> \- Chey xo -


	17. 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓻𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓷

**xiii. time flies when you're having fun**

Two decades have passed, and Kathleen has reached full maturity. She began asking where her father is ten years ago - when she had the body of a fifteen-year-old, but the mind of a twenty-year-old somehow - and I told her the truth. She now knows that I am one hundred and four-years-old, and that her father is one hundred and six, and that he left to go to the north in order to escape the savagery of the coven both Jasper and I were created to be in.

Currently, Kathleen is with Jane and Alec - who have become like her siblings - and is attempting to see what she can do with her ability. What we know is that she can absorb another vampire's ability - just like I can - but she cannot take any more than that, and that she has slight pathokinetic tendencies. I suppose, there is no way that she would be able to have the exact same ability as myself and Jasper, but I was hoping that she'd have similar abilities so I can help her control them. 

Luckily, she does.

My daughter stopped ageing when her body turned nineteen, but her mind has continued to age. Due to that, Aro, Marcus and Caius have decided that it's time Kathleen and I return to the outside world instead of being cooped up in Volterra. We are free spirits at heart and mind and soul, and we cannot be caged or controlled; we must be allowed to roam where we desire and be unbridled by anyone. Whilst we can still have a mate, Kathleen and I will not be able to stay stationary in a coven with them.

That's why we are both standing before the Guard and the three Elder vampires of the Volturi. Kathleen is almost quaking in her shoes as she has never been around three dozen members of the Volturi all together, and I am tense with nervousness and apprehension. While we may be being allowed to venture out into the world, there is going to be a catch, and it is that catch I am afraid of.

Aro simply stands and walks towards us, his hand tailored black suit as impeccable as always. "Kaya, Kathleen, you are both being set free. Why do you not smile?"

As my daughter freezes, I step forward. "While we may be delighted, Aro, we are hesitant to accept this. The outside world has changed drastically over the past two decades, and it will be dangerous compared to the world I once lived in. My daughter, on the other hand, has never been outside these walls - or even felt the sun on her skin. She is afraid."

"I understand your worries, Miss Salvatore, but let me assure you that your old home has not changed as much as you believe. Although the years have passed, America remains poverty stricken and controlled by mindless, meddling men."

"What of our kind?"

"There was a time when the humans hunted us, and we retreated into the shadows and prospered - we blend into society and live as the humans live," Marcus assures, causing Kathleen and I to look at the eldest - in human years - of the three Volturi leaders. "That is our way, and it has been for almost half a century now."

Without care, I walk up to Marcus and take his hand. "Please. Can you tell me if...?"

"Your mate lives on, Miss Salvatore. I can assure you."

Behind me, Kathleen smiles and her body sags in relief, but all I can feel is anxiety. It's been almost thirty years since I have seen Jasper, and I'm not certain that he remembers me amidst the carnage and wrath of the nineteenth century. As I release Marcus' hand, I return to my original stance beside my daughter, thoughts of the honey blond, red-eyed man I am still in love with after all this time.

Beside me, Kathleen squeezes my hand, and I know that she can feel my turbulent emotions right now. To be quite honest, I miss being able to feel another's emotions ever since Jasper left, but I have been hesitant to attempt siphoning my daughter's ability to do so. As memories and thoughts of the honey blond pathokinetic vampire continue to wash over me, Aro lays the rules of our release into the outside world - we are to be scouts and relay information to a member of the Guard who will meet us once a month no matter where we are.

We don't bother to ask how the Guard will know where we are, or who the member of the Guard will be. The second my eyes flash to Demetri, he smiles in an almost unnoticeable way and then returns to a stoic expression. In front of me, Aro smiles knowingly. He would only send a trusted member to America - and it had to be someone that both the Volturi trust, and that myself and Kathleen can trust.

One last time, Aro takes my hand in both of his and smiles as he moves through every thought I have ever had. "Still exquisite, Miss Salvatore. I wonder if your daughter is as impressive."

Kathleen almost flinches as Aro's hands encompass one of hers, but she holds her ground and looks over at me. I motion for her to look back at the older vampire. She does so and her red eyes meet his, both pairs widening at what is found within the depths of her subconscious. Kathleen has never had her mind read by Aro before, however, she has had her relationships identified by Marcus, been induced with illusory pain and had her senses robbed by Jane and Alec, fought against the physical shield Renata, and hunted the invisible Afton with the tracker Demetri.

She's gone up against a lot, but never Aro's mind reading ability.

Soon the dark haired vampire releases her and steps back. "Marvellous. She is almost as impressive as you, my dear Kaya. I do wonder what her father's mind is like..."

Instantly, I tense. "Unfortunately, I'm not sure if you will ever know, Aro."

"I am aware. Now, you may leave." He returns to the podium and faces as he sits down. "There is a car waiting outside for you with two bags of your belongings each in it. It will take you to the airport, and then you will travel to America. You will be free to roam the continent as you please, but, do not draw unnecessary attention to yourselves. That is all I ask."

"Of course, Aro."


	18. 𝓯𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓷

**xiv. the descendants**

A week later, Kathleen and I are in Houston, Texas. I walk into the post office and pick up a small bundle of letters, feeling sick to my stomach at the vast amount. Walking out, I sit beside Kathleen and open the letters, scanning over them and discovering the life that my grandchildren lived while I was gone. Now, their children are in their early thirties and still live in this city. Addresses are noted on the final letter, as well as handwritten goodbyes from the two children I loved almost as much as Jaida.

Stuffing them into my handbag, I link my arm with Kathleen's and we walk through the dreary streets of Houston. If the weather had been sunny, we would be indoors away from the revealing sunlight and wait until a day that it rains. Luckily, it's not sunny. Although, I can quite clearly see the disdain that the darker skinned individuals are being treated with - nothing like back in the nineteenth century, but still horrific to my eyes. Once out of eye sight, I shove a particularly cruel man into the nearest dark alley and drain him dry.

Walking down the familiar street, I knock on the door that hides my family. The instant it opens, I am greeted by a young male who resembles Jaida and all air is expelled from my lungs as his green eyes take me in. His eyes widen in recognition and he opens the door wider, allowing myself and Kathleen to enter. As soon as we do, the familiar face of my grandson appears in the sitting room. I fall onto the couch beside him and hold him as he cries, Kathleen awkwardly sitting on a couch across from us.

Minutes later, I pull away from him and smile. "Jasper, my grandson, there is someone I would like you to meet."

Jasper's aged eyes move to Kathleen and he almost cries out in shock. "She looks so much like Grandfather Jasper. How is that possible?"

"She is mine and Jasper's daughter. Do not ask how - it will take too long to explain."

"I wish my sister were here to see the day you returned."

That's when I know. "Kaya isn't... Please tell me she's not gone, Jasper."

The elderly man bows his head. "I'm sorry, Nanna, but she has been gone for about five years now. She came down with a fever and passed almost a year later." Jasper shakes his head and his eyes move back to my daughter. "Now, who may you be, young lady?"

Kathleen moves around the wooden table and sits atop it, gently holding the elderly man's hand. "My name is Kathleen Whitlock. I dare say that you can call me your aunt."

"Aunt Kathleen, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"You're sick."

My eyes dart to my daughter. "Kathleen, what is it? What do you feel?"

Kathleen's red eyes darken, but not in hunger. "Jasper is in pain, and it's because he's sick. He wants to die. It'd be a saving grace."

Jasper merely smiles weakly. "You have the same ability as Grandfather Jasper, but there is something different about it."

"I have to be touching another being."

"Ah, I see. Alas, Nanna, Aunt Kathleen is right. I am dying, and I wish for it to end tonight."

The instant I see where he is going, I shake my head. "Jasper, no. Do not ask us to end your life. Please, my grandson. Do not do this."

Jasper looks at me with dulled hazel eyes, begging. "Please, Kaya. I do not want to live the remainder of my days in pain."

Reluctantly, I agree to his dying wishes.

As the sun sets low below the mountains in the distance, my grandson lays in his bed, skin pale and hair greyed beyond recognition, and both his lungs and heart barely supporting him. Looking over at Jasper Whitlock Masters the Third, my great-grandson, he smiles sadly and walks out of the room, not wanting to witness the death of his own beloved father.

Kathleen hovers in the corner, not knowing if she will be able to control herself once her nephew's blood is spilt before her eyes. Giving her a reassuring smile, I walk over to where my Jasper lies, dying, and run my fingers through his hair, pushing it away from his face. He smiles at me softly as I place a kiss on his forehead, and I have to fight my instant urge to kill him just from his overwhelming scent.

Whispering a final goodbye, I move my mouth to his throat and bite down, his blood streaming into my mouth almost instantly. Jasper croaks out a pained gasp at first, but he soon relaxes as Kathleen staggers over, eyes black, and holds his hand. She bites down on his wrist and manipulates his emotions through physical contact, allowing him to be peaceful and without pain in his final moments. As his heart slowly thuds to a stop and air enters his lungs no longer, I pull away and break down into tears beside him, clutching his cold, limp hand in mine.

The newest Jasper of the family - that I am aware of - walks back into the room with a young teen by his side. "Nanna Kaya, this is my son, Jasper Whitlock Masters the Fourth. Jas, this is your great-great-grandmother, and your great-aunt Kathleen."

The teen stares at us, disbelieving. "They're so young."

"They are vampires, and it is our duty to protect their secret and their story - our secret and story. It is also the story of your great-great-grandfather, who is only two years older than Nanna Kaya."

"So, we don't have to be afraid of them?"

Smiling, I move over so I am standing in front of my descendants. "Listen to me, Jas. Any vampires in our family will never hurt you. If they do, you warn them that the Volturi will hunt them down. Alright?"

Jas smiles up at me. "I promise! Does that include the bad vampires too, Nanna Kaya?"

"What bad vampires, sweetie?"

"The ones that glitter in the sunlight and kill the coloured people."


	19. 𝓯𝓲𝓯𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓷

**xv. the scent of love**

It's been a month, and we've met with Demetri four times, but we've had nothing of interest to the Volturi for the past three. The first time, we informed him of the vampires that were wandering around the southern states killing individuals of darker skin, and as well as some instances where the darker skinned individuals had been turned and forced into doing horrendous deeds to the humans in order to survive the cruelty of their makers.

Since then, rumours amongst both humans and vampires is that people in dark cloaks have been spotted around the southern states, and individuals have been disappearing without a trace. Demetri informed us by letter that a handful of those vampires have joined the Guard due to having unusual abilities that would be of use - as well as one that has a similar ability to Kathleen and I. She is unable to use the abilities she takes, but she is able to pass them onto a another vampire.

Her name is Mele, and Aro has deemed that her ability - the ability of power transferal - will be of great use to the Volturi. In the black haired vampire's words, she "will be able to transform the Volturi. However, do not panic, my dear Kaya, she will not take your and your daughter's places in the Guard - she will be able to transfer abilities from those who die into those who still live after battles". I am relieved that Kathleen and I will be in the Guard and not disposed of like the others.

Right now, we're heading up north. North west to be more exact. There's a state - Washington - that has near constant cloud cover and rain, and it's a perfect place to spend what little time Kathleen and I have been given by Aro, Caius and Marcus. We're almost at the small town of Forks that is rumoured to have a small coven of vampires there who have stumbled across a pack of werewolves of all creatures, and it's safe to say that the entirety of the Volturi, myself and Kathleen included, are intrigued by this concept. 

Entering the small town, my feet stop moving of their own accord as my nose stings with a familiar scent. It's been decades since I've smelt it, and it still makes my skin tingle at the mere thought of him being close - but I know that I can't allow myself to fall back into the thrall I was in before without gaining some insight as to why he left me to die as our former coven fell apart that night. Kathleen instantly rushes back to my side, her red eyes slightly panicked and her breathing halting in the presence of my unease.

"What's wrong, mother?" Kathleen asks, her glimmering eyes searching mine. "What is it that you can smell but I cannot?"

I shake my head and continue to walk forward, the younger vampire following me. "First of all, you need to stop calling me 'mother' from now on. We're in the presence of humans, and they are not allowed to understand how it is you're my daughter."

"I understand, mot-Kaya."

"Secondly, you can smell it; you just don't recognise it because you've never smelt him before."

"'Him'?" Her eyes widen and she stops in the middle of the street, her hand darting up to cover her mouth. "Is it...?"

"Yes. It's your father, Kathleen. Now, we need to find the coven he is with - and it must been soon. Demetri is going to be here in three days, and we must inform him of whether or not there are werewolves living here."

Walking into the lightening streets of Forks, Kathleen and I follow the odour of her father - my lost lover. Cars drive past and we both panic slightly before collecting ourselves and continuing as if they were nothing out of the ordinary. In this new world, there are many things that will startle us at first, but we will gradually get used to - and that includes the desire to run straight to Jasper's side and stay with him.

As soon as his scent becomes almost unbearable, we stop outside a large house in the town and stare up at it, meeting the golden eyes of a blond haired man. At the sight of us and our red eyes, he motions with his head for us to come in. At that, we agree and follow him out to the back garden of the spacious house and yard that backs onto the forest. The blond man seats himself and motions for us to sit. Kathleen takes his offer hesitantly, but I remain standing as my eyes warily take in the environment.

"I must ask what your intentions are," the blond begins, drawing my attention. "My family and I maintain this permanent residence, and this area has been designated as ours."

Tilting my head, I stare down at the blond. "We are a part of the Volturi. Aro has sent us out to gather information on the current state of our species in America."

His golden eyes widen slightly at my words, as well as my accent. "You are from America, are you not?"

"I was once. Texas to be exact."

"Carlisle," a familiar voice calls, making me freeze - something that the blond doesn't miss. "Who are you talking to?"

"It's no one, Jasper," Carlisle informs, shifting in his seat. "Do not worry yourself. They are merely envoys from the Volturi."

"Very well. Call if you need any assistance."

Closing my eyes, I feel Kathleen grip my hand as I instinctively siphon Jasper's ability, sharing his pathokinesis and feeling everyone's emotions once again. The rush makes me shudder out a breath and open my eyes once Carlisle's apprehension flows over me. I evenly meet the strangely golden eyes of our host and release Kathleen's hand, placing mine behind my back and and standing upright.

"You know my son?" Carlisle inquires curiously, lacing his fingers together. At my annoyed expression he smiles slightly and relaxes. "I apologise. I am aware that - like my other children - he is not biologically mine, but I have adopted him, so to speak."

I shake my head and fight the urge to break in front of this man. "Jasper left our coven to escape the pain and horror of the war he was dragged into. I do not blame him for that, but he could have taken some of us with him so we were not forced to fight for our own survival against our creator."

"I would like to know your story if you are willing to tell it, Miss...?"

"Salvatore. Kaya Salvatore."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mele is an actual character from the 'Twilight' universe, but she only exists in the novella "Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined."


	20. 𝓼𝓲𝔁𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓷

**xvi. honey blond and golden eyes**

Hesitantly, I sit beside Kathleen and meet Carlisle's golden eyes. "I have some questions for you first."

The blond smiles gently. "Ask anything you'd like, and I will answer it."

"There are rumours of a wolf pack here. Are they true?"

"Yes. They are called the Quileutes, and have lived here for centuries. My family and I have created a pact with them so we are able to remain here."

"What does this pact detail?"

"That we will not cross the treaty line into their territory, and that we will not kill the humans of this town. In return, they will keep our secret and not kill us. Both regulations are easy to uphold."

"How so?"

"Have a look at my eyes, and then your companions. Her's are red, and mine are gold, yes? Yours are red because you feed on human blood, and mine and my family's are gold because we feed on animal blood."

At the mention of drinking animal blood, I find myself drawn to the idea for a moment, but instantly dismiss it as I see someone looking at us from the window of the house out the corner of my eye. Carlisle notices and indicates for them to come to us. Moments later, a long dark haired woman is by the blond's side and her golden eyes are looking over us warily, noting our ruby red eyes. She sits beside him and he drapes his left arm over her shoulders, reclining back against the metal seat.

The thought of Jasper having golden eyes makes me feel giddy, and Kathleen instantly gives me a strange look at that emotion, her confusion and slight amusement warming the air around us. I give her a knowing smile and she becomes even more confused until her red eyes widen in disbelief and recognition, a glimmering sheen of tears appearing over the vibrant red and making them appear as though they're even more red than usual.

"There is something you should know, Carlisle," I say softly, looking over at the older man. "My companion as you called her, is my daughter. She was conceived and born while I was a vampire."

The blond instantly sits forward on his seat, his arm falling from the woman's shoulders and his hands becoming clasped on his lap. "How is that possible, Miss Salvatore?"

"I have the ability to siphon anything from any living creature - including, but not limited to, a human woman's ability to have children."

"I see. Who is her father?"

At that, I close my mouth and look over at the house. In one of the second storey windows, the honey blond male from my past stares down at us with apprehension and distrust, his emotions clear. That is, until confusion washes over him and he takes in a deep breath through his nose. At that, they morph into disbelief and something I haven't felt in a long time - love. Jasper vanishes from the window and, moments later, the back door flies open. 

I barely have time to stand before Jasper's arms are wrapped tightly around me and his face is buried in the crook of my neck, his body shuddering as my arms move of their own accord and hold onto him as tight as possible. I can't help that I begin to cry, shaking in his hold as memories of familiar and similar times flood my mind from the place I kept them locked away for over half a century. Every inch of my body is pressed against his, and it reminds me of the days where we were practically joined at the hip and had nothing to lose but each other and our very lives.

"Kaya." His deep voice sends shivers down my spine. "I've missed you so much, darlin'."

"You left me," I sob, clutching his shirt. "You left me to burn with that coven - to fight her in order to survive."

"I am so sorry. I couldn't stay there any longer. I should have taken you with me."

"Jazz, you couldn't have." I force myself to pull back and stare up into his orange-gold eyes. "That was not our future. You know that. I  _told_  you that."

Before he can reply, Kathleen hesitantly walks over to us, her blonde hair and red eyes making Jasper freeze. More than that, it's her scent - the smell of myself and him - that laces her. The honey blond stares at Kathleen, unable to comprehend what he is witnessing. Looking down into my red eyes, I smile and raise my hands to cup his face, kissing him gently before pulling away and stepping back beside our daughter.

"I'd like you to meet someone," I say softly, almost hesitantly. "Jasper, this is Kathleen. Kathleen, this is your father."

Jasper shakes his head. "That's not possible. Vampires can't..."

"I can siphon  _anything_ from any living creature - including a human woman's ability to have children. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I couldn't. You left that night before I could."

"She's... She's ours?"

"There's no doubt. She has both our abilities to an extent, but she has to be touching an individual in order to feel their emotions. She can't manipulate them."

The honey blond steps towards Kathleen, and the younger girl lets out a strangled "dad" before throwing herself into his awaiting arms. Smiling, I watch as my -  _our_  daughter holds onto her father for dear life, forgetting that Carlisle and his wife are still watching our reunion until the older blond lays his hand on my shoulder and I have to fight the urge to flip him over my shoulder and tear his arm from his body. At the rush of violence, Jasper's eyes flicker to me for a second before they close again.

"I believe you have a story, Miss Salvatore," Carlisle reminds, making me look over my shoulder at the man.

"Carlisle," the dark haired woman admonishes. "Leave her be. She must be famished, and she and her daughter are reuniting with Jasper after fifty years."

In that moment, I instantly know why Jasper truly joined this coven - no,  _this family_. They all have a bond of love and trust, and I do not require Marcus' ability to see that. Watching Kathleen and Jasper together, I know that there is no way any of us will ever be the same after today. Kathleen and I have a place in the Volturi, and Jasper has his place here with these animal blood drinking vampires. There is no place for each other in our separate worlds anymore, and that is what I am most afraid of. Without the other, both Jasper and I are empty shells with no real reason to go on living except for the dependence of our respective covens.

I do not want to lose him again, but I know that I will have to one of these days.


	21. 𝓼𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓷

**xvii. hidden revelations**

All I can do is cry.

There's nothing worse than having to force yourself to leave behind the one you love, and that's what I am having to do. Kathleen knows that this has to be done, and I am glad that I am not forced to argue with her about leaving her father. Carlisle and his wife, Esme, agree with my decision as they both believe that their adoptive son will regress into the heartless, bloodthirsty beast he was when he first came to them with Alice, his apparent best friend. On the other hand, Jasper hasn't the faintest idea that we're leaving, and the Cullen patriarch has made sure that Alice and their other adoptive son, Edward, will not tell Jasper anything about Kathleen's and mine departure.

I've written him a letter, but I doubt it will allow him to find solace...

_Dearest Jasper,_

_I am glad to have seen you again after all this time, even if it were only for a few days, but I fear that we cannot be together at this time. Kathleen and I belong with the Volturi, and you have found your place with the Cullens - an utterly different coven to our previous one with Maria. I hate to tell you this by letter, but, if we were to tell you in person, you would not let us go._

_Carlisle has agreed to give this letter to you once you and Edward return from hunting. He has been of great help these past three days, and both he and Esme understand why Kathleen and I must leave. We will cause you to become the monster you were almost a century ago, and I will not be able to live with myself if that were to happen. You have a life here, and Kathleen and I cannot become a part of it. For that, I apologise greatly, my love, but it is the truth._

_There are many things that I have withheld from you these past days, and I have only this paper to write them on. I do wish I could tell you in person, but I know that there would not be enough time to tell you everything. On second thought, I'll just leave this letter on your desk - you'll find it easier that way._

_When our coven burned to the ground 21 years ago, you left to go to the north. I was left behind until a man found me and took me to the Volturi - a place where vampires are basically royalty. I befriended them, and gave birth to our pureblood vampire daughter. That became my home for those 21 years, and it still is. I have friends and family there, and there's nothing better than knowing I finally belong somewhere that is not full of bloodshed and pain._

_My world was spun upside down that night you left, and I knew I had to survive in order for Kathleen to be born and live a happy life. She and two of the Volturi members have become like siblings, and I can tell that she misses them terribly. To tell you the truth, I miss the older vampires who have become like my older brothers, and the other vampire who became like sister to me. Kathleen and I desire to go back to them as much as we desire to stay here with you, but we know we can only do the former._

_There will be a time when we meet again, and I pray that it is soon, Jasper. Do not lose hope in seeing your daughter again, and do not lose hope in being able to live a happy life whilst she and I are not with you. There is something else you should know... None of your newfound coven will tell you where we are headed - or where the Volturi are located. Also, the wolf pack that live by have granted us...scent coverage so you are unable to track us. I am so sorry, Jasper, but it is necessary._

_With love,_

_Miss Kaya Salvatore._

Folding the paper into thirds, I scrawl Jasper's name onto the thick paper and place it on the desk in his room. Looking around it, there are many bookshelves with a hundred or more books decorating their shelves. One catches my eye - a familiar brown leather journal I thought I'd lost two decades ago. Smiling, I brush my fingers over the worn spine, but leave it as I leave the room with hesitation I knew would come into existence the moment Kathleen and I decided to leave Jasper behind.

I pass by a pale blonde girl and a black haired male, my feet slowing to a stop in front of them. "Rose. Emmett. I really am going to miss you two."

The pale blonde smiles sadly at me and pulls me into a hug, her mate watching with sad gold eyes. "We will see each other again, Kaya. I know we will."

Emmett grins at her words. "Yeah, and don't you forget it, little sister."

I stare up at the black haired male in disbelief. "'Little sister'? I've got  _two_ things to say to that. 1: I am older than you by about 70 years. 2: Emmett, I'm not a part of this family, and I never will be. I'm not like you, and there's no way I am going to be."

"You're with Jasper," Alice cheerily states, making me look over at the dark brown haired girl. She's been nothing but kind to me since we met. "You are a part of this family - and nothing is going to change that, even the fact that you feed on humans."

Rosalie and Emmett nod in agreement, matching smiles on their faces. His arm is around her petite waist and she is almost curled up against his chest. In that moment, my skin tingles and my mind twists their appearances and I swear I see myself and Jasper standing before me - my eyes a brilliant red, and his a calming orange-gold colour, and our skin a matching pale white. Shaking my head, I let go of the ability I instinctively siphoned and blink rapidly to clear my mind.

"I'll stop feedin' on live humans when I get a job at the hospital," I inform, my southern accent slipping out. "I just drink bagged blood. It'll be easier on everyone when I do that."

Alice sucks in a sharp breath. "Kaya, you and Kathleen need to leave right now. Jasper and Edward are on their way back."

I give the three vampires one final hug each and hurry out of the house, almost running into Carlisle, Esme and Kathleen as I do so. The Cullen's golden eyes are sad but understanding, and mixed emotions are rolling off Kathleen in waves as I grip her hand. The two older vampires bid us farewell with more hugs and we vanish into the darkening evening as Jasper's scent fills the air, making our way across the Treaty Line and into wolf territory.

They surround us almost instantly, and the second largest wolf steps forward, his eyes trained on Kathleen as she walks over to him and hugs him as best she can. This wolf Imprinted on her the day we got here, and her leaving is utter misery for both of them - as well as Alice. Whilst also Imprinting on my daughter, the wolf made another Imprint on Alice. It's something that was only prophesied and was never believed to happen, but it has, and it will happen again when Kathleen and I return to this small town.

Moments later, the pack, Kathleen and I run into the night, heading south to the border, the stenches of the wolves masking mine and Kathleen's. This is the last time this century that we will be in the northern part of North America, and that fact brings a sting of pain to my heart.


	22. 𝓮𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓷

**xviii. broken bonds**

Three decades have passed since Kathleen and I were in Forks, Washington and met the Cullen family; Jasper's new family. Since then, they've moved across many states, but never in the south. My guess is that it would be too sunny for them to live there peacefully and without suspicion - and that it would cause memories to arise in Jasper, and possibly revert back into the beast he once was. 

Kathleen and I returned to the Volturi half a decade after we left them, and I am glad. We were welcomed back with open arms, and there were tears from both Jane and Chelsea at our arrival - even Alec was slightly on the emotional side. Afton, Felix and Demetri simply hugged me and almost refused to let me go - or out of their sights for the rest of that decade. Marcus smiled when he saw me and Kathleen, and his red eyes glimmered as he took in the rekindled relationship between Jasper and us. Caius gave us a sincere smile for once, and he actually looked glad that we had returned. The instant we stepped into the main room, Aro was in front of us with a wide smile - his expression didn't change much when he read our thoughts.

Twenty-five years have passed since that day, and everything is back to the way it was before Kathleen and I left. We have regressed back into the states of mind we were in before, and, while we are free at heart, we are glad that we are back in familiar territory and have no need to look over our shoulders for rogue vampires, or werewolves who seek to kill us just because we exist. It's a relief to be able to live without constant, life-threatening danger.

"Kaya," Jane calls, the worry in her voice making me panic. "Kaya, you might want to hurry!"

Instantly on my feet, I run towards the sound of her voice, only to find Kathleen in a foetus positing on the stone floor with Jane, Alec and Chelsea hovering over her. There is pure pain on her face, and she's clutching at her heart, her nails scraping across her flesh and creating a high-pitched grating sound, like stone on stone. Whimpers leave her lips, her breathing is irregular, and there's only one thing I can put it down to - the werewolf that Imprinted on her and Alice has died.

Gritting my teeth, I kneel down next to her and rip her hands away from her body, clutching her wrists tightly as she begins to thrash and cry at the physical contact. One look from me and the three vampires in the room are holding her against the stone floor, securing her wrists and ankles as I release her. At the ruckus, Felix and Demetri rush into the room and instantly help the others to hold her down. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I turn on my heel and walk away from my crying daughter, unable to help her.

Walking up to Marcus, I stop mere feet from him. "Is there anything you can do?"

The elder gives me a sympathetic look and shakes his head. "I am sorry, Miss Salvatore, but there is nothing that can be done for your daughter. Her heart has been broken, and there is no chance for her heart to be fixed unless another Imprints on her."

"There has to be something."

Chelsea walks up behind me. "I can make her bonds to the Volturi stronger so she will not attempt to end her own life out of misery and loss. It will keep her alive until you both return to America."

Bowing my head, I clench my fists. "Do it. Keep her alive no matter what. I will  _not_  lose another child to this godforsaken world!"

True to her words, the brunette complies to my wishes and keeps Kathleen alive. While my daughter lies on the stone floor unconscious, I run my fingers through her dirty blonde hair that reminds me much of Jasper's own honey blond locks that I once cut almost beyond recognition. Closing my eyes, I rest my head upon her chest and let out a sighing breath, wishing that she does not have to feel the pain of a broken heart - or of a broken bond between mates. I remember when I first felt it with Jasper, and it was a part of the reason I came to the Volturi in the first place.

Heartbreak is the reasoning behind a lot of the pain in this world, and it's a constant reminder that shows just how easy it is to get hurt. It's inescapable and unending. Time doesn't lessen pain, it just teaches us how to live with it. This world is full of pain and torment and grief and death and loss, and all time does is teach us that it is inevitable and just a part of the torturous lives we are forced to live. Wishing it was nothing like this will get us nowhere, so we make do with what small happiness and solace from the pain we can find in this desolate world.

"Mother?" Kathleen asks, making me sit up and look down into her dull red eyes. "What happened?"

I give her a sad smile. "You know what happened, Kathleen."

"Jeremy died... Is Alice...?"

"I don't know. I'm sure she will send word. Have faith."

"Why do I feel so strange?"

"In order to prevent you from killing yourself, Chelsea strengthened your loyalty to the Volturi so you would not be inclined to follow that werewolf to the grave."

Kathleen sits up, but her head hangs low. "Will it go away?"

I bite my lip and sigh. "Not until we return to Forks. We won't be going back until next decade, so don't go getting your hopes up about it being soon."

"Will there be another werewolf to Imprint on me?"

"Yes."

"How do you know?"

"I borrowed Alice's ability of subjective precognition. There was a gap in your future, and it's a sign that wolves are involved. There has to be a wolf that will Imprint on you, Kathleen, or... I don't know what to 'or' is. There shouldn't be a gap in your future if they're not involved, but there is."


	23. 𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓷

**xix. the return**

The instant Kathleen and I step into the cafeteria of Forks High School, we're bombarded with the scents of over a hundred humans. Kathleen visibly tenses at my side, and I take hold of her hand and squeeze it tightly, reassuring her. Taking a seat beside an empty table with five chairs, I recline in the annoying metal seat and Kathleen's brilliant red eyes dart around in search of the people giving of the scents of the Cullens.

"Hey Mikey!" an Asian boy exclaims, drawing my attention. "You met my home girl, Bella."

A boy with light brown hair gives him a disbelieving look. "Oh, your home girl?"

The first boy agrees and then everything goes to hell at that table. A dark skinned boy rushes over and kisses a long brunette girl on the cheek before pulling the chair out from underneath 'Mike', causing the teenager to hit the ground. It's not even a second later that he scrambles up from the ground and chases after the dark skinned boy - Tyler, apparently.

The remaining other student at the table shuffles closer to the new girl. "Oh my God, it's like first grade all over again. You're the shiny new toy."

A girl with a camera and glasses appears and blocks my view for a second as she takes a photo. "Smile! Sorry, I needed the candid for the feature..."

"Feature's dead, Angela," the Asian boy from before almost snarls. "Don't bring it up again."

From there, I zone out of their conversation about editorials and possessive boys over the new brunette in our school. Turning to Kathleen, I make a throwing up motion and she nods, grinning as she agrees, poking at the red apple on her lunch tray. Glaring at her, I pick up the almost spherical object and throw it into the trash bin across the room, drawing narrowed borderline envious eyes from the basketball players, and wide astonished eyes from those who are not.

My interest returns to the table a second after I make out the forms of the Cullen family as they walk past the window.

"Who are they?" the new girl - Bella - asks.

"The Cullens," the lighter haired girl - Jessica - almost sneers

"They're, um, Dr. and Mrs. Cullens' foster kids," the girl with glasses - Angela - informs. "They moved down here from Alaska a few years ago. They kind of keep to themselves."

"Yeah, 'cause they're all together... Like together together. The blonde girl, that's Rosalie, and the big dark-haired guy, Emmett."

Emmett and Rosalie smile at each other lovingly, and then their eyes dart to me and Kathleen. Their golden eyes glimmer in delight, and sit at the table beside us

"They're like a thing. I'm not even sure that's legal."

"Jess, they're not actually related."

"Yeah, but they live together... It's weird. Okay, the little dark-haired girl is Alice. She's really weird, and she's best friends with Jasper, the blond one who looks like he's in pain."

Alice's fingers are loosely linked with Jasper's, and it causes jealousy to rear its ugly head within me. That is, until I see the struggle he is having being around all these humans - even after all the years he's lived with them. They sit beside Emmett and Rosalie, Alice giving me a wide grin, and I notice that Jasper hasn't taken his eyes off me since he walked into this building.

"Dr.Cullen is like this foster dad-slash-matchmaker." Jessica almost drools. "Maybe he'll adopt me."

"Who's he?" Bella asks suddenly, drawing the day-dreaming girl from her thoughts.

Looking up, I spot the telepathic bronze-haired vampire walk into the room.

"That's Edward Cullen. He's totally gorgeous, obviously," Jessica fangirls. "But apparently nobody here is good enough for him. Like I care. You know. So... Yeah... Seriously, don't waste your time..."

Edward smiles at Jessica's words, and it grows larger when he sees me.

"I wasn't planning on it," Bella reassures the lighter haired girl, but her eyes don't leave Edward as he sits with his family.

Moving my gaze from Bella, Jessica and Angela, I grin over at the Cullen family. With their mirroring smiles, I jump out of my seat and into Emmett and Rosalie's awaiting arms. Ignoring the eyes on us, we hold onto each other for dear life as Kathleen rushes around the table to pull her girlfriend into a bone-crushing hug. Almost in perfect sync, we switch people - her hugging Emmett and Rosalie, while I pull Edward and Alice into a giant hug. Once that's done, Kathleen hugs Edward before standing awkwardly behind me as we face Jasper.

His honey blond hair is shorter than it was in 1960, but longer than the time I cut it short for him in the early twentieth century. His eyes are no longer a golden orange, but are now a molten gold colour, and, while I miss the brilliant red eyes I came to adore, this colour suits him more than I'll ever let on. They're full of pain and anger, but there's happiness and love growing within them as his pathokinesis allows him to read both mine and Kathleen's emotions right now. As soon as his lips quirk into a smile, Kathleen launches herself into his arms.

"Father," she breathes, digging her fingers into his shirt. "I've missed you so much."

He closes his eyes and hugs her back. "I've missed you too, little Leena."

"You and mother need to talk."

"I know - and very badly."

Kathleen pulls away from Jasper and gives me a teary smile before walking over to her adoptive aunt and uncles, and her girlfriend, who could also be counted as an adoptive aunt, but let's not go there. To keep my thoughts from wandering to my daughter's relationship with an older woman, I meet Jasper's golden eyes, tucking my dark brown hair behind my right ear and nervously nibbling on the inside of my lip. What appears to be either hesitantly or reluctantly, Jasper opens his arms, inviting me - no, beckoning me to come to him.

As tears sting my eyes, I move faster than I should in a room full of humans, but I cannot care less the moment the arms of the man I've loved for over a century encompass me in the tightest hug he's ever given me. Everything ceases to exist as his scent wraps itself around me and blankets me in familiarity. Despite him being over a foot taller than me, I can't help but feel as though we're the same height. I feel safer than I have in three decades in his arms, and I would not trade anything for that.

"Miss Kaya, I have missed you," Jasper breathes, his deep voice still sending shivers down my spine after all these years.

"I've missed you more, Mr Whitlock."


	24. 𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓷𝓽𝔂

**xx. the cullen residence**

My fingers linked with Jasper's, we walk up the steps leading to the new Cullen residence. There are little to no walls, in their place being floor to ceiling windows, and I can see almost the entirety of the inside of the house. Although, I can tell that it's only the front and possibly sides of the house that are fully glass pane with the occasional support beam in between two panes of glass to create sections and an aesthetic appearance. There would be no need for the back wall - the one facing the forest - to be made of glass.

Walking in, I instantly pick up on Esme's and Carlisle's scents, and my mouth widens into a grin as something that feels like electricity floods my veins. Looking over my shoulder at Jasper, I poke my tongue out and speed up the stairs into the kitchen with no hesitation. Seconds later, Esme's arms are wrapped around me as she almost hugs the life out of me. Figuratively speaking, of course. As soon as I'm free of the brunette, I come face-to-face with the Cullen patriarch. He gives me a smile and a brief hug before releasing me as the adoptive children walk into the room.

Jasper is instantly by my side, his fingers wrapped around mine. "Stop running away from me, Miss Salvatore."

I roll my eyes and give him a cheeky grin. "But we both enjoy the game."

"Alright, lovebirds," Alice exclaims cheerily, skipping over to us with Kathleen in tow. "Jasper, why don't you show Kaya the house? I'm sure she'll appreciate knowing the layout of her new home."

Before I can say anything, I am being almost dragged from the room by the honey blond male still holding my hand. Heading up another flight of stairs, my red eyes take in several doors as we move around the banister. There are four on our left, and three on our right. The first appears to be a bathroom, and the others bedrooms. Heading to the second last on our right, I notice that it is a study filled with books, and a painting of Aro, Marcus, Caius and Carlisle hangs on the wall closest to Edward's bedroom beside it.

Across the hall is a rather large room with more books. Art sculptures and paintings rest on shelves where there's space, or hang on the walls. There is a one of those bed-sofas that I can never remember the name of positioned on an angle in front of the window, and a throw rug and a pillow are strewn on it. Smiling, I move around the room, my boots sinking into the soft beige carpet that complements the aesthetically pleasing look.

"Let me guess," I say, turning to face Jasper. "Carlisle and Esme."

Jasper smiles and motions for me to follow him. As I do, I take a quick glance into Edward's room. Shelves line the walls, and they're filled with music, books and even a few remnants of when he was still human. Another of those bed-sofas is a few feet away from the window, and it has piles of books on it. Shaking my head, I follow Jasper as we walk past what appears to be Alice's room on my right, and Rosalie and Emmett's on my left. I can't help myself - I peek into both rooms as I walk by.

Alice's room is as expected. She has art books stacked on her shelves, and half a dozen packets of unopened drawing pencils and pens on her desk. There's a hanging chair in the right corner of her room, and there are a few books resting on it. While her room is as expected, Rosalie and Emmett's isn't exactly... There's a bed in their room, and it almost makes me cringe at the visuals I receive. Other than that, the shelves have books and other miscellaneous objects on them from their lives before Forks.

Entering the room after the bathroom, I go still as familiar scents bombard me. Looking around the room, my ruby eyes instantly find the brown leather-bound journal Jasper had taken when he left sixty-six years ago. Searching the room, my eyes land on the window right in front of me, looking out into the forest, and then go straight to another of the bed-sofas. This one is different though. Where the others are white and pure, this one is almost ash grey in colour and conveys that it is flawed - much like the owner of it and the room.

The shelves are lined with books from their previous stay here, and they're in the exact same order right now as they were decades ago. A small photo frame catches my attention and my eyes burn as I recognise it as the photo Rosalie took of Jasper, Alice, Kathleen and myself when Kathleen and I came to visit them in the sixties. Well, inadvertently visited the Cullens. We didn't even know they existed until that year - except for Alice and Jasper, that is.

"Kaya," Jasper says, his arms wrapping around my waist and his head resting against mine. "Do you like your's and Kathleen's new home?"

I smile and place my hands over his. "I love it."

"But?"

"As much as I love it, you know that we can't stay here - and you know exactly why."

"Your allegiance to the Volturi should not have any say in where you live."

"They'll come for you and the others, and there'll be nothing anyone can do - not even I will be able to stand in the way of Aro's wishes." I close my eyes. "If what I saw when I siphoned Alice's ability is true, then we're all in danger, Jazz."

Jasper spins me around and his golden eyes search mine. "Kaya, what did you see?"

"She saw every possibility; every future of her and Kathleen staying with us and more," Edward informs, leaning against the door frame. "Listen to me, Kaya. Nothing is set in stone."

I give him a tight-lipped smile. "Nothing except your future with that new student. Isabella Swan, am I right?"

"What do you know about her?"

"As much as you do. You cannot read her mind, and I can't do it either. She is human, I can assure you of that, but she is more to you. Those whose scents are like a drug to vampires are called 'blood singers', and there's no escaping the future that lies ahead. That is, unless you want to kill her tonight and prevent this family from flourishing, and your stone-cold heart from ever loving another living soul."

I share Jasper's pathokinesis without a second thought, and a smile instantly works its way onto my face. Edward is writhing in conflict. Looking over at my lover, I grin playfully and then return my gaze to the bronze-haired male as he hits his head against the wooden door frame in agitation, making me snort in amusement. At that, his glares at me with golden eyes, but there's no true fury into a colour so pure and innocent - unlike the vivacious ruby red of a vampire that drinks the blood of humans.

My skin tingles as I siphon Edward's telepathy, and I have to bite back an animalistic growl at the turbulent thoughts in his mind.

_'I should just kill her - no, kill them all.'_

_'All the humans, and Bella.'_

_'This girl will try stop me, but she won't manage to. She has no ability.'_

_'I can't even read her mind.'_

"Do not test me, Edward Cullen," I almost snarl, making his eyes widen, and Jasper to grip my arm tightly as I step forward threateningly. "While you may not be able to get inside my head, I can get inside yours and see your deepest, darkest secrets.  _I will ruin you_  if you actually consider killing that innocent girl."

"You've killed innocents," Edward hisses in retaliation, golden eyes flashing in anger and hardening. "Don't play the innocent act with me."

"I have fought in more wars and ended more lives than you can count, and I'm not afraid of endin' another life right now. Harm a hair on that girl's head, and you're goin' to be added to the list of those I've slaughtered."

Jasper tenses behind me as my southern accent becomes prominent.

"While I may have killed in the wars, outside of them I have not killed a single person who was not a convicted criminal, or someone who had escaped the law! Or even someone who begged for me to end their lives to keep them from sufferin'!"

The bronze-haired vampire's eyes fly wide at how openly I confess to having killed people, and the honey blond vampire behind me tightens his hold at my last few words. We both know who I'm talking about in that instance - the young girl who was bleeding to death on the sidewalk almost a century ago, and we spared her of her pain and suffering.

"So I warn you, Edward Anthony Masen, do not fuck with me, or you will end up dead without a second's hesitation."


	25. 𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓷𝓽𝔂-𝓸𝓷𝓮

**xxi. the live-saving accident**

A week has passed since Kathleen and I were basically forced to move into the Cullen residence. Well I was, but my daughter was more than happy to. I hate the idea of being in an actual coven once again, because it brings up memories of the past that I'd rather not remember due to the pain they cause to erupt within me. I can vouch for Jasper having the same feelings towards our past, but quite obviously not the extent that I do due to having been with the Cullen's since the late 1940's.

"Kaya," Jasper whispers to me, making me look up from my drawing book that Alice bought me. "Listen."

Turning my focus to across the school, I pick up on Edward and Bella's first conversation.

"Hello. I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to introduce myself last week," Edward says. "I'm Edward Cullen... You're Bella?"

"Yes," the brunette girl replies.

"Onion root tip cells! That's what's on your slides right now," Mr Molina - the biology teacher - almost cheers, interrupting their conversation and making me shiver at his cheeriness. "Okay? So separate and label them into the phases of Mitosis. And the first partners to get it right are gonna win the golden onion!"

"Ladies first," Edward offers, ever the gentleman.

"You were gone," Bella almost accuses.

"Yeah. Um, I was out of town for a couple of days. Personal reasons."

"Prophase."

"You mind if I look? It's prophase."

"Like I said."

"So, you're enjoying the rain?"

I let out a short laugh before eyes glance over at me incredulously. Beside me, Jasper fights the grin beginning to grow on his face. A couple of classrooms away, I hear Alice let out a small snicker at her adoptive brother's words, and from the library I hear two sets of quiet laughter coming from Emmett and Rosalie. From the same room as their adoptive brother, I hear Kathleen laughing quietly. Still grinning, I siphon share Edward's telepathy and hone in on his thoughts so we are able to communicate.

"What?" Edward asks, both directed at Bella and myself after he hears my thoughts, and everyone's laughter.  _'What the hell, Kaya?'_

 _'You're asking her about the_ weather _!'_ I reply.

"You're asking me about the weather?"

"Yeah... I guess I am."

Tuning out of the conversation that is quickly gaining awkwardness and making me cringe, I return to sketching in my book until this nightmare of a day has passed. Well, it doesn't exactly go that way. I have a bad feeling that this day is going to get a lot more messy than it already has. Once the bell rings, Jasper and I leave the classroom and head to meet Edward, instantly stopping when I hear him and Bella talking beside her locker. One of her comments catches my attention and makes Jasper tense beside me.

"Hey, did you get contacts?" Bella asks abruptly, searching her acquaintance's eyes.

"No," Edward rebuts, instantly on guard.

"Your eyes were black the last time I saw you and now they're like golden-brown."

"Yeah, I know. It's the..." Edward closes his eyes. "Um, it's the fluorescence. I've gotta go." 

He rushes out of the school, and Jasper and I are hot on his heels, me sending the younger girl a sympathetic smile that she gives me a confused look for. I give her a look that tells her we'll talk later, and she nods sharply, clearly understanding the severity. Turning my gaze back to Edward, my boot-clad feet thud faster against the linoleum floor as I grip his arm tightly and drag him out of the school building, Jasper following me and the bronze-haired idiot.

Reaching the cars, I practically throw him against his ridiculous silver Volvo and cross my arms in front of my chest, glaring at him with vibrant ruby eyes. "What the fuck do you think you're doing, Cullen? Giving bad excuses? You could have just told her they were contacts like I do instead of being a blundering idiot!"

Edward growls lowly at me, standing upright as people begin to walk out of the school. "I panicked, alright? I didn't know what to say."

"Says the vampire who can read everyone's mind except his blood singer's. You have all the words in the world, and you couldn't figure out what to say? You're full of bullshit."

"Like you're going to be able to do much better, Kaya! I know what you're planning, and I can tell you now that it's not going to end the way you want it to!"

"Stay the hell out of my head, or you'll end up worse than  _they_  did."

At my words, the younger vampire turns even whiter - if that's possible - and his visibly takes a step back away from me, bumping into his car. Behind me, Jasper twitches in anticipation but quickly dampens the anxiety beginning to bubble within him. His years as a killer are itching to break free and slaughter everything, but he's forcing his new self to remain in control. Rolling my red eyes, the sound of the school bell resonates in my ears, followed by the thundering footsteps of the students, indistinct chatter accompanying the sound.

I turn my glare from the bronze-haired vampire and he relaxes, but not enough to show that he is comfortable in my presence. In that instant, I find my mind pulled into the bustling crowd, and not even five minutes later, there's a loud screeching - like tires on wet tar. I spin around too slow to catch Edward's arm as he speeds across the parking lot towards the brunette blood singer, and I feel my stomach twist uncomfortably as the rest of the Olympic Coven surround me, horror ablaze in their golden eyes as their adopted brother throws out his hand to prevent the van from crushing the human.

Taking one look at Jasper, I know that his mind is flying through different scenarios of ending her life in order to protect their secret, but I cannot allow that to happen. I grip his wrist and drag him to the car, Alice putting down her white umbrella and following me with Kathleen half a step behind her. In my peripheral vision, I catch sight of Rosalie and Emmett climbing into their Jeep seconds after I made my move. Almost throwing my honey blond mate into the car, I climb in and have to slow myself down before I tear out of the car park like a crazed maniac.

"Fucking idiot," I seethe, turning right and driving in the direction that leads out of Forks - to the Cullen residence. My eyes dart across the road in a panic, and my grip tightens on the steering wheel of the car. "Of course he had to go and save her life."

"Mother, calm down," Kathleen murmurs, her hand brushing against my arm.

That is the worst thing to do when I am in any way upset.

Instinctively, I snap at her and her lithe hand retreats, pressing against her chest, and her red eyes widen in shock tainted with fear. Alice lets out a small hiss of annoyance from the backseat and I growl in response, shooting Jasper a glare as he attempts to use his pathokinesis on me. The pale man simply raises his hands in surrender as I pull into the garage of the Cullen residence, my feet hitting the concrete floor not even half a second later as I run off into the trees.


	26. 𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓷𝓽𝔂-𝓽𝔀𝓸

**xxii. hell hath no fury**

Currently three states away, I find myself caught in a bloodlust, scarlet liquid staining my pale hands, my clothes, and my mind. Memories of the wars are bombarding me, and of the instances where I've had to end lives due to our secret - the secret of the vampires - having been revealed to mortals. They barely faze me anymore; I've grown to live with the torment of my thoughts and memories. Drawn by the terrors, Demetri stands only a few feet in front of me, his brilliant red eyes filling with worry.

"What do you want, Demetri?" I all but snarl, not in the best mood to deal with a Coven mate. Looking up at him, his eyes widen in surprise. "I won't repeat myself again, Demetri. What the  _fuck_  do you want?"

"Well, today  _is_  our meeting day, to begin with, Kaya. I can tell that something is troubling you though. Would you like to talk about it first?"

"The fucking mind reader in the Cullen family decided to save the life of a measly human just because she is his  _blood singer_. He sped across a parking lot  _full of humans_ and shoved her out of the way of the freaking ute that was going to crush her."

"I see." Demetri folds his arms across his chest and looks thoughtful for a moment. "He has exposed our kind to the humans."

I shrug slightly. "Apparently no human saw him, so, if they did, their feeble minds have discarded it in favour of disbelief."

"So no laws have been broken. I see. There is no need for me to inform Aro of this indiscretion, is there, Kaya?"

"Mine or his?"

"My guess is that you'd prefer him not to know about this...scene. Am I correct, Miss Salvatore?"

I only nod in agreement, my ruby eyes flicking back down to the bodies at my feet. Demetri is really the only one in the Volturi I am able to stand being around when my emotions are running rampant and my fingers are itching to rips limbs from bodies, other than that, maybe Felix or Alec, but none of the others, and not for an extended period of time.

Not even a second later, Demetri's head snaps up and his red eyes turn to black coals, apprehension flooding them. Breathing in, the hair on the back of my neck stands erect and I sigh, looking over my shoulder to see Jasper standing not too far behind me, pain covering his face and his eyes slowly bleeding from gold to black at the smell of human blood, and the bodies at my feet. Demetri goes to move towards Jasper and I hold my arm out, stopping the older Vampire from attacking my Mate.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, not hiding my annoyance at him having followed me. "You know that you shouldn't have done that."

Jasper shakes his head and swallows painfully, forcing himself to meet my red eyes. "Carlisle and Esme are worried about you, and so are Rosalie and Emmett. Our daughter has shut herself into her's and Alice's room, and Alice is becoming paranoid - she can't see you're future anymore, Kaya."

"And what about you? Are you worried about me too, lover?" A wave of something unnameable douses me and a maniacal grin grows on my face as I walk over to Jasper. "Are you worried that I'm about to go off the deep end and do something I'll regret? If so, then turn around and go back to Forks. Don't expect me to come running if something goes wrong."

Turning around, Jasper's words make me freeze. "Bella knows."

Demetri's red eyes widen as they dart to me, my memories churning and threatening to shatter my current calm. The deaths of countless Humans outside my family who knew our secret, and all the bloodshed; the memories and the past that I cannot escape no matter how hard I try. My hands twist into fists and I hit the closest thing, which, thankfully, turns out to be a tree. Unfortunately, the poor thing ends up splintering and collapsing, sending a few more with it.

"Please be joking, Jasper," I growl warningly. "She cannot know, because I cannot make her forget. She will have to die, and I don't want a blood singer's blood on my hands, or have to end the life of the one who has chosen her as a Mate."

The honey blond haired man bows his head, hating that what I have said is, above all, the utmost truth. Cursing, I let out a slew of Italian, making Demetri's eyes widen in amusement, but a darkness burning behind the emotion. Behind me, Jasper flinches at my churning emotions and moves away from me, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. Sucking in hissing breaths through clenched teeth, I close my eyes and try to reign in the turbulence in my mind, ignoring the calming waves wafting from Jasper.

"So, why are you here? To come and fetch me so I can properly meet the blood bag?"

"Kaya," Jasper warns, his Southern drawl coming out and making me shiver. "Alice has seen Bella's future - she will become one of us."

A snarl rips itself free from my chest. "No! No more Humans becoming monsters like us! Especially not ones who have a choice."

"Kaya-"

I glare at my Mate. "I have seen her future - and Edward's. This path will only end in pain and death. She chooses the wrong person, and her life ends because of it!"

Jasper's black eyes turn sad and he sighs. "Kaya, I know this isn't the life you wanted-"

"No, it isn't, but it's the life I was given. I had no choice in the matter, and neither did you or Alice, or Kathleen, or Emmett, or Carlisle, but everyone else had a say. Carlisle turned Edward and Esme and Rose, and Rose sure as hell doesn't want this life. She turned Emmett, and, while he's happy to be alive, I'm not sure he would have chosen this for himself after being mauled to death."

Jasper and Demetri are silent, hanging on my every word.

"Kathleen, well, she was born a Vampire, and knows nothing of being Human. She will never know the pain and beauty of being mortal; she will never be able to carry a child; she will never know what it's like to not be a bloodthirsty monster, and that's all on me. No, this isn't my fault. This is that fucking manipulative bitch's fault! Fucking Maria forced this on us, and it's hurt our child's life in turn!"

"If she didn't, then we wouldn't have a daughter," Jasper snarls in response. "You would have died that day in 1863, and none of this would have happened to you - to us!"

"Maybe that would have been better! Or, maybe, it would have been better if I had died alongside that boy!"

As soon as the words leave my lips, Jasper recoils and guilt buries itself in my heart, regret pulsing through my body. Even Demetri lets out a low whistle and shifts his stance, eyes disbelieving and shocked. He doesn't know the truth of my past; he is only able to sense the horrors and track me through them. There's undeniable agony in Jasper's currently black eyes, and it makes the knife of guilt and regret twist within me and make me fall to my knees in the blood.

Tears build up in my eyes and I cry, clutching my stomach as heaving sobs and broken apologies leave me. This is my breaking point after almost two centuries, and, lucky me, I have an audience - the one I love, and my closest friend. The former shuffles over to me and kneels beside me, encasing me in his solid arms, making me cry harder, head pressed against his chest. The latter walks away, giving Jasper and I some privacy while we sort everything out.

"I didn't mean to... I'm so sorry... I don't want to... I just..." Half-formed sentences come out of my mouth, broken and never being finished, but, by the way Jasper holds me tighter and shushes me, humming the melody I once sung to him, I know that he understands what I'm trying to say. "Jazz... I'm sorry..."

The honey blond shakes his head. "It's alright, darlin'. You're just stressed, and didn't mean anythin' by what ya said. I know you're sorry, and I am too. I shouldn't have acted on my emotions. I should know better."

The clearing of a throat makes me look over to where Demetri is leaning against a tree, black cloak billowing out in the breeze. "So, should I inform Aro of this girl, Miss Kaya? It sounds like she could be a problem in the future."

I shake my head. "Not right now, Demetri. I'll let you know if Aro has anything to worry about concerning Bella. However, you could tell him about how there may be a possibility of Aro meeting  _him_."

A small grin appears on Demetri's face and his red eyes appear to glimmer. "I understand. See you in a week, Miss Kaya."

The cloaked man races off into the early night, leaving Jasper and I surrounded by bodies drained of blood. Breaking free of Jasper's hold, I quickly dispose of the bodies, much to the delight of the golden-eyed male. Once done, we do what we've always done - survive together, and stay by each other's sides through thick and thin; no matter what this broken down world decides to throw at us.

 


	27. 𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓷𝓽𝔂-𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓮𝓮

**xxiii. second newest vegetarian**

Sitting outside with Jasper, Kathleen and Alice, I can hear when Bella and Edward pull up in front of the house, their voices echoing in my ears as they talk about how the house doesn't look like some book version of of vampire's dwelling. Rolling my eyes, I lean against Jasper's front, my head falling back to rest on his shoulder as his right arm is loosely wrapped around my waist, our left hands entwined. In front of me, Kathleen giggles as Alice presses affectionate kisses to her pale throat, making a soft smile spread across my lips.

My hearing tunes into the cooking program on the tv briefly before turning to the conversation between Carlisle and Esme in the kitchen, my smile growing at how in sync they are. Rosalie rests on the fringe of my hearing, and I can feel her distaste wafting through the air; a complete contrast to the excitement of Emmett standing nearby. The aura of the room changes as Bella and Edward walk in, the human girl wary of the vampires.

Everything starts out nice and calm, but both Jasper and I can feel the rising tension within Rosalie due to the presence of Bella. Standing, the four of us make our way to the large window leading into the kitchen, and it sounds as though we make it just in time - not even a minute after the blonde vampire shatters one of Esme's crystal bowls and another, more dark conversation begins.

"Hi, Bella! I'm Alice," the pixie-like vampire greets, stepping in off a branch, her hand linked with Kathleen's. Letting go when my daughter draws to a stop, Alice continues forward and gives Bella a hug, as well as receiving a small "hi" from the Human. "Oh, you do smell good."

Edward gives his adopted sister a bewildered look. "Alice, what are you...?"

"It's okay. Bella and I are going to be great friends."

As Alice backs away, I step down onto the marble floor, Jasper following not a moment later, and we walk over to our daughter, my hand brushing against her hand and giving it a brief squeeze before letting her be. Alice moves to link her arm with Kathleen's, and I stand slightly in front of Jasper, allowing him to have his arm around me and his scarred hand to rest on my right hip.

Bella's eyes flicker to Kathleen and Jasper, making everyone pay close attention to them - as well as myself, my ruby red eyes giving me trouble for the first time in a while. I roll my eyes and flip them off, earning a silent snicker from Emmett, who then gets a small whack from Rosalie, who is struggling to keep in her own sounds of amusement. Alice and Kathleen glance over at me, but soon return their gazes to Edward and Bella, the former having amusement glittering in her gold eyes, and the latter trying not to grin. Beside me, Jasper almost imperceptibly rolls his eyes as I grin up at him.

"Sorry," Carlisle apologises, a warm smile on his face and in his golden eyes. "Jasper's our newest vegetarian. It's a little difficult for him."

"Second newest," I reiterate with a half-forced grin, my eyes darting to Kathleen's orange ones, making my daughter smile slightly, but mainly look away from my berating gaze. "Kathleen here is becoming a "vegetarian" as well."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Jasper greets formally, his grip on my waist hardening and making my place my hand on his, comforting him.

"It's okay, Jasper," Alice assures him. "You won't hurt her."

Kathleen nods her head in agreement. "Neither of us will hurt her."

I snort, pulling away from my Mate and stepping up to Bella, red eyes burning. "I see that neither of you are worried about little old me killing her - especially after what happened the other week." My lips quirk into a smirk. "She does look rather tasty."

Edward gives me an incredulous look before luring Bella away. "Alright... I'm gonna take you on a tour of the rest of the house."

"I'll see you soon," Alice calls, making Bella smile at her and murmur an "okay" in response.

Once they're gone, Esme and Carlisle let out small sighs of relief as I turn and walk away, my mind spinning and my stomach churning, begging for blood. Running into the wall of the lounge room, I clutch at my stomach and growl lowly, ruby eyes fading to black, and I force them shut. No longer inhaling unneeded air to keep up my human charade, I can't smell the tantalising,  _alluring_  scent of the human's blood.

Looking up, my feet fly across the floor as I run towards the open window, launching myself off and landing on the ground, rolling and ending with one knee on the ground. Dark eyes trained on the forest, I run through it - past the border line and further south, away from the smell of her life force. Reaching a small town, I skid to a stop, body shaking and everything in me begging for blood. Unable to resist the pull, my mind goes dark as I feed.

Throwing the middle-aged man's body to the ground, it falls like a sack of flower and makes a sort of squelching sound as it hits the dirt. Sensing someone behind me, I look over my shoulder to see the Cullen patriarch watching me with understanding eyes. I can't help the scoff that comes from my throat as I turn to face the older vampire, crossing my arms over my chest, not bothering to clean the blood from my face as I stare at him with blood red eyes.

"Don't play that card with me, Carlisle," I snap. "You never struggled with the lust for human blood. Don't forget I've been inside your head, old man."

The blond man shakes his head. "You misunderstand my understanding, Miss Salvatore. I've seen my family struggle with the bloodlust, and I have helped them through it."

"I will  _not_  become one of your  _vegetarians_ , Carlisle."

"Very well. Then would you consider coming to work at the hospital with me? You told me of your qualifications, and you're desire to become a doctor so you would not have to do this."

Tilting my head, I assess the older vampire. "What exactly are you asking me to do, Carlisle? Steal from the hospital - from the people who need to blood?"

The blond man smiles warmly. "Kaya, you are one of the people who need the blood."


	28. 𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓷𝓽𝔂-𝓯𝓸𝓾𝓻

**xxiv. vampires that play baseball**

Rolling my eyes, I allow Alice to force a baseball jersey over my head and a cap atop it. Not too long after that, I'm thrown into a car alongside her, Kathleen and Jasper whilst Edward heads off to pick up Bella for some god-awful reason. Staring out the window, I have a bad feeling about playing baseball today - even with the thunderstorm looming above us, promising safety from being found, it feels like one of those ominous ones from cartoons and anime.

"I'm glad you're here," Esme exclaims with a smile as Bella and Edward walk over to us almost half an hour later. "We need an umpire."

"She thinks we cheat," Emmett snickers.

"I know you cheat. Call them as you see them, Bella."

The teenage human nods. "Okay."

"It's time," Alice calls with a grin, looking up at the sky from the pitcher's place.

Rosalie steps up to the batter's station, swinging the bat around for a few practice swings before Alice pitches the ball at a frightening speed. Standing in the batting line, I let out a small 'whoop' as the ball goes flying past everyone, Edward speeding after it. Unsurprisingly for the fast vampire, he catches it and pegs it back to home base, Esme getting Rosalie out, and Bella calling it, much to the blonde's disgust.

"Out! Whoo!" Emmett cheers, but sobers as Rosalie stands, glaring right into Bella's fawn eyes. "Babe, come on! It's just a game."

Carlisle teases Rosalie as she walks away, the blonde purposely hitting Bella with her shoulder, before he steps up to bat, rotating the bat a couple of times as Alice pitches. A loud cracking sound fills the air as Carlisle smashes the ball, accompanied by the thunder. I watch with amusement as both Emmett and Edward eye the ball before running to catch it. However, they both launch into the air and collide with each other, falling to the hard ground with groans mixed with laughter, allowing the blond patriarch to claim a home run for our team.

Jasper steps up and flips his bat around, briefly grinning back at me before turning to face his best friend, bat at the ready. Alice pitches and my Mate hits it easily with one hand, sending it flying through the air like a bullet. That thought makes a chill wash over me as I watch the scene unfold. Emmett scales a tree to catch the ball, jumping back down and throwing it back to home, Rosalie saying something about him being her "monkey man." Clapping Jasper on the shoulder when he returns, I step up to bat, my body twitching in anticipation, but I never get my chance.

A vision flashes in my mind and my gaze turns to the fog in the distance, Alice turning on the pitch and staring into the fog, and horror spreading over Edward's features. The pixie-like vampire cries out a "stop!" and everyone instantly speeds over to Bella, my hand tightening on the bat still clutched in my hand.

This time when my muscles twitch beneath my skin, it's not in anticipation of the game, but instead of the possibility of a fight. Beside me, Jasper is experiencing a similar predicament, and even Kathleen is slightly more on edge than the rest of the Olympic Coven. Just like in the vision, two men and a woman come from the fog, making the vampires behind me crowd around Bella more in an attempt to hide her human scent from these nomads.

"I believe this belongs to you," the dark-skinned man in the middle informs as they come to a stop in front of us, holding up the ball we lost when Rosalie snuck in a hit between Jasper and me.

Carlisle catches it as the man throws it back. "Thank you."

"I'm Laurent." He sweeps his hand to the female. "And this is Victoria..." To the male. "And James."

My unreadable gaze is trained on the male as I analyse him. Sifting through his mind, my suspicions are confirmed when I find what I'm looking for - he's a Tracker. Turning my blood red eyes to the woman, I find her already watching me with a small curve to her wicked red lips, and it sends a chill down my spine. Baring my teeth at her, a hiss breaks free and she looks away, Jasper's hand tightening on the left side of my torso in warning.

"We were just passing through," Laurent informs, red eyes unnerving Kathleen and me. We've seen many pairs of red eyes, but none as sinister and manipulative as these.

"The humans were tracking us," the red-haired woman informs with a smile that reminds me far too much of Maria. "but we lead them east. You should be safe."

Closing my eyes, I force back the memories of that woman and the past I wish I could forget more than anything. In doing so, my hand tightens further on the hilt of the bat and I feel it give under my unforgiving hold.

The woman catches the ball Carlisle throws to them. "I'm the one with the wicked curve-ball."

Jasper smirks. "Well, I think we can handle that."

Laurent grins and turns, walking out to the field with James and Victoria as Edward and Bella turn to leave. Unfortunately, just at that exact moment, a gust of wind blows in the direction of the nomads, sending Bella's scent to them. I watch with horror as the Tracker inhales, my feet flying forward as he turns to face us, Edward shoving Bella behind him.

"You brought a snack," the Tracker says with a wide, predatory smile.

Everyone moves in that instant, the Olympic Coven moving into defensive positions in front of Bella.

"You're human?" the dark-skinned man exclaims, red eyes wide.

"The girl is with us," Carlisle informs warningly. "I think it best if you leave."

"I can see the game is over. We'll go now." Laurent backs away, Victoria giving me one final look before turning on her heel. "James..."

"Unless you want your head used as a baseball, I'd leave right now," I threaten, snarling at him and raising the bat higher.

My red eyes staring at him, imploring him to let me knock his head off with my bat and rip him to shreds. Unfortunately, he smirks and turns away, black jacket flapping slightly as he heads over to Victoria and puts his arm around her waist, the redhead mirroring his movements. The three nomads head back in the direction they came, and then the Cullens begin to move in a flurry.

Edward instantly takes Bella to her home as the rest of the Olympic Coven hurry back to their house, leaving Jasper and I standing in the field, our adrenaline running high and my desire for that monster's blood rising by the second. Letting out a snarling hiss, I speed back in the direction of the Cullen house, Jasper hot on my heels. It doesn't take long for Bella and Edward to return - and have Laurent's warning rattling around in their young minds.

"Kaya and I have had to fight our kind before," Jasper informs, throwing a bag onto the cupboard. "We're not easy to kill, but not impossible."

"We'll rip him apart and burn the pieces," I snarl, nails digging into my palms. "That's the only way to kill the bastard."

"I don't relish the thought of killing another creature," Carlisle murmurs. "Even a sadistic one like James."

Edward sighs. "I'm going to run Bella south and then lead the Tracker away from here."

"No, Edward," Carlisle says sharply, stopping the telepath in his tracks. "James knows you'd never leave Bella. He'll follow you."

"I'll go with Bella," Alice says. "Jasper, Kaya and I will drive her south. We'll keep her safe, Edward."

"Can you keep your thoughts to yourself?" the bronze-haired vampire demands, gaze flickering between Alice and myself.

"Yes."


	29. 𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓷𝓽𝔂-𝓯𝓲𝓿𝓮

**xxv. who the hell does ballet?!**

Stuck in a car with Bella, Alice and Jasper is  _not_  as fun as it sounds. We've been sitting in the metal death contraption for hours, and, luckily, we're almost in Phoenix. The human continues to keep calling her mother, and it's driving me insane. Reaching around the seat, I hold Jasper's hand in mine, resting my head against the back of the seat as I fight the increasing need to feed, his scarred hand weaving with mine and grounding me.

"He can track by predicting your movements," I say, breaking the silence. "It's not perfect, but it's still pretty accurate. So, don't be surprised if the murderous bastard changes course when he figures out what we're doing."

"Hey, mum. It's me again," Bella speaks into her phone as Alice and Jasper share a look in the front seats. "Um, you must have let your phone die or something... I'm not in Forks, but everything's okay, and I'll explain it later."

What feels like hours later, we're finally checked into a hotel room, and Bella is resting, Jasper having had to manipulate her emotions into making her feel calm enough to sleep. Sitting on the lounge beside my Mate, I drop my head on his shoulder and groan, hating this so much right now. I hate Bella, and this is  _not_  how I wanted to spend my evening - babysitting the one human I could care less about, and wouldn't care if she died right now.

It's only half an hour later that Bella staggers out of the room, hair a mess atop her head and brown eyes still having a sheen of sleep over them. My honey blond Mate instantly manipulates her emotions to keep her calm as she hovers over where Alice, Jasper and me are sitting, listening to us talk about random things to pass the time. However, that doesn't last long due to visions hitting both myself and Alice, making her suck in a sharp breath.

"What is it?" Jasper quickly asks. "What did you see?"

"He figured it out," Alice says, golden eyes wide. "The Tracker. He just changed course."

"Where will it take him, Alice?" Bella demands, making me look at the human.

"Mirrors..." Alice's hand moves in circles like she's drawing. "A room full of mirrors."

I slide Alice some paper and a pencil as her hands continue to move, and fight the vision in my own mind, hands clenching and relaxing. Jasper's lithe hand takes hold of mine when he notices the rapid fluctuation of my emotions, and that I'm siphon-sharing Alice's clairvoyance. Bella leans over the table, brown eyes watching the sketch come to life in extraordinary detail.

"Edward said the visions weren't always certain," Bella says shakily.

"She sees the course people are on while they're on it," Jasper explains, glancing up to Bella for a second before looking back at Alice's sketch. "If they change their minds, the vision changes."

"So, the course that the tracker's on now is gonna lead him to... A ballet studio?"

"You've been here?" Alice asks.

"I took lessons as a kid. The school I went to had an arch just like that."

"Was your school here in Phoenix?" Jasper demands.

The human nods. "Yeah."

It doesn't take long for Bella to up and vanish from the motel - maybe an hour or so at most - and the three of us are left in a state of panic, Alice on the phone with Edward, explaining what the hell is going on, while I'm a mess, cursing in Italian while Jasper watches me with wide, golden eyes. As I begin to break things, he wraps his solid, muscular arms around me, and I thrash in his hold, crying out many expletives in the foreign language I have come to love ever since I joined the Volturi.

Once Edward, Emmett and Carlisle appear at the motel, we're on our way to the ballet studio in Alice's drawing, and I'm somewhat hoping that we get there before the bastard Tracker kills or turns her. I've already told them that I'm killing her if she becomes a newborn, and that nothing will stop me from killing anyone who gets in my way. However, by the look of things when we arrive at the ballet studio minutes after Edward, I won't be needing to kill her.

Alice and Carlisle are instantly at Bella's side, and I charge straight at James, tackling the sad excuse of a Tracker and burying my teeth into his throat, pumping him full of my venom, before jerking my head back, ripping out a chunk of his neck. Grinning sadistically down at him, I allow Jasper to pull me off the Tracker as Emmett attacks the beast, Jasper following suit a moment later. Letting out a malicious laugh, I watch as my Mate and my friend begin to rip the nomad to pieces.

"Bella, Bella!" Alice holds the thrashing girl to the ground. "It's okay. Oh God." Alice lifts her shaking, blood covered hand to her face. "Carlisle! The blood..."

"Start the fire with the floorboards," Jasper growls, he and Emmett ripping up the wood as I move to tear James to pieces, starting with his hands.

Soon enough, there's a raging fire before us, and Emmett and Jasper move back over to me and James. They heave him up from the floor and hold his thrashing body as I rip his head from his body, ruby eyes like fire in the burning light of the true fire. Throwing his head into the flames, I distantly hear Bella scream as the venom begins to spread throughout her body more.

I watch the flames in a trance, and feel Jasper's hand link with mine, grounding me. Out of the two of us, I have always been the most vicious and cruel for some reason, but it's not like it's a bad thing. It saved us tonight, and many, many times in the past - both with Maria, and with the Volturi. Being a monster is a part of being what we were made into, and it's not something that we can just escape.

The scent of Bella's blood drags me from the flames and I look over my shoulder to see Alice, Carlisle and Edward by Bella's side, the latter having the human's wrist to his mouth, sucking the venom from her bloodstream. Jasper's dark eyes follow mine and he goes rigid by my side, hand holding my tighter as we watch the third-youngest Cullen go too far - drinking too much of her blood before he rips himself away, dark eyes now a shade of ruby red.

"Well, fuck," I say, raising my eyebrow. "That's one hell of a look for a Cullen."


	30. 𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓷𝓽𝔂-𝓼𝓲𝔁

**xxvi. getting back to "normal"**

It's been a week since everything happened, and the Olympic Coven and I are getting back to whatever "normal" is for blood-sucking creatures. Kathleen hasn't left Alice's side since we came back from Phoenix - they even went shopping for prom dresses together, mind you. Apparently Esme thought it'd be a good idea for us all to go to prom to get our minds off things, much to my obvious disgust. Not to mention, Rosalie somehow managed to drag me away from the Cullen household to go to get a dress that would, I quote, "sweep my brother off his feet and leave him breathless."

Quite honestly, I love the dress we picked out - a classic Civil War dress that would  _definitely_  make Jasper speechless. As many horrific memories we have of those days, there were days and nights where we lived our lives for what they were worth - spending nights dancing amidst humans and other vampire covens where there was no fighting, or just enjoying walking through the streets of cities under the cover of patterned parasols.

I fall back onto the couch, my head landing on Jasper's lap as he continues to read the book in his pale, scar covered hands. I poke his stomach repeatedly, smiling as he begins to lose focus in his book and sigh in fake irritation, closing his book and placing it on the table. His golden eyes stare down at me with amusement as I poke my tongue out and grin up at him, sliding my hand up his torso and placing my hand on the back of his neck.

Pulling him down, I raise up off the couch slightly and our lips meet in a soft, sweet kiss. For once in our long lives, nothing is rushed, and we have all the time in the world to give our love and affection to each other.

Breaking apart a moment later, his hand cups my face gently as he smiles lovingly down at me. "I don't know if I've ever told you, but I love you, darlin'."

"I love you too, Major Whitlock."

Rosalie makes an 'aww' sound from where she stands in the doorway, and I look over at her with amusement as Emmett walks up behind her and places his arms around her waist. "You two are so cute, and I do believe this was the first time I've ever heard you say you love each other."

"It probably was, babe," Emmett chuckles, making his blonde Mate's eyes widen. "So, come on, leave the lovebirds alone."

Jasper covers his eyes in exasperation and sighs as our friends leave the room, the blonde worrying about how she "messed it all up for them." I can't help the carefree laughter that bubbles free from my lips at both Jasper mumbling under his breath and Rosalie panicking about what she just did. In this moment, nothing could be more perfect, being in the arms of the one I have loved for over a century, and that's something I love.

Reaching up, I run my fingers along his arm, feeling the dips and rises of the scars decorating his pale skin. Uncovering his golden eyes, he looks down at me with a soft expression, his hand on my face moves slightly, brushing my brunette hair out of my eyes and tucking it behind my ear. Just laying here makes me feel more alive and  _human_  than I have done in over a century.

Of course, as all "parent moments" are, ours is broken by Kathleen running into the room and plopping down onto the other couch, her gold-orange eyes glimmering with delight and life as she looks over to us. A soft smile crosses Jasper's face as he looks over to his own flesh and blood, and he holds out his hand, the younger vampire taking hold of it happily. Reaching out, she takes hold of my hand as Jasper and I do the same with our free hands.

We're all connected in more ways than one right now.

Kathleen can feel our emotions, and I can feel theirs alongside Jasper. Our hands are touching, making it a physical connection paired with the emotional one our "gifts" allow us to have. Closing my eyes, I let myself fall - siphoning Alice's ability of precognition and seeing our future as best I can.

Whilst there's still the darkness and uncertainty of Bella and Edward looming over us, and that of Kathleen and Alice's other Mate, our future's look brighter than they have in a while. My eyes don't change from their ruby red, but Kathleen's become fully gold - something that our Coven will have something to say about when they find our soon enough.

"Stop worrying, mother," Kathleen murmurs, my eyes opening and staring over at my daughter. "They will respect my decision no matter what I choose. I know this because I saw into Aro's mind when he looked into mine."

"Your ability is something to behold, Leena," Jasper muses, honey blond head cocked to the side. "A mix of siphoning and pathokinesis, but can only be used through direct contact with an individual."

I take my hands back and sit up, my back facing the two most important people in my life. "It will be sought after by many vampires - just as mine is to this day. We've spent too long apart from the Volturi, and their protection is beginning to weaken. Once it's gone, we will be hunted, Kathleen."

"Stop it, darlin'." Arms encase my middle and pull me back against a marble chest, a chin coming to rest on my shoulder. "There's no need for you to worry about being hunted, especially since you're a part of this family now, and we would never let anything happen to you - or our daughter. Alice can see them coming from a mile away, and Edward can read their minds. You're safe here, Kaya."

"I'm just so scared, Jazz. I saw into Victoria's mind, and she's just the same as Maria - vindictive and manipulative and cruel. She will stop at nothing to have her revenge on you, Emmett and Edward; she will kill whoever she needs to."

"We're stronger than we look, darlin'."


	31. 𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓷𝓽𝔂-𝓼𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓷

**xxvii. high-school prom #10**

Standing at the top of the stairs, looking down at my wide-eyed Mate is possibly the most wonderful experience I've had this decade - second to that of finally seeing him again after decades apart. His suit clings to his body perfectly, and my maroon dress hugs the curves of my upper body, making me feel both in this century and the 1800's. At the base, my arm links with his and we walk out of the Cullen residence, Kathleen and Alice by our sides as we climb into the limo Esme ordered for us.

It's not as much struggle as I thought it would be to get my dress into the car, but I guess that's because they don't make 19th Century dresses like they used to; they make them more flexible and  _modern_  these days. I do appreciate that fact, despite it being somewhat irritating that it's not "authentic" or "proper," as people would say. Also, it's much more comfortable than any dresses I used to be forced to endure were.

Minutes later, we pull up at the location of the prom, and find that Bella and Edward are already here - the young human left sitting alone on a stone seat whilst the "chivalrous" 20th Century vampire gets her ticket. Motioning for the others to go inside, I walk over to the young brunette clad in a blue dress and dark tights, one foot clad with a sneaker and the other with a black moon boot.

"You look worried, Isabella," I muse, leaning against the tree beside her, looking up at the stars. "Did you truly want to die that much? Did you really want to become a beast who lusts for nothing but blood?"

The girl looks up at me with her dull, brown eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I may not be able to read your mind, but I can feel your emotions and see your future. You're going down a dark path, Isabella Swan, and it's one you will not be able to reverse; you will make the worst decision, and choose the wrong life."

Before she can speak, I smell a wolf. A sharp growl leaves my chest, but it quietens as a Quileute walks from the trees, but there's something about him that's not right. Blood red eyes scanning over him, I take in the lack of muscle definition, the way he holds himself, and the god awful long, black hair. He hasn't shifted yet, but it's only a matter of time now that Kathleen and I are semi-permanent residents with the Cullens.

"Bella," the wolf boy calls out, walking over to us with his two top buttons undone and his tie loose. For some reason, he's half-dressed in a suit - pants, shoes top and tie only.

The brunette girl turns and smiles. "Jacob. Hey!"

"Nice." He motions to her dress before his eyes turn to me. "You too, Kaya."

"You too."

"Thanks, Black," I reply. "Tell Billy we need to talk."

"Are you crashing the prom or something?" Bella interrupts. "Did you come with a date?"

"No." Jacob laughs slightly. "My dad paid me to come talk to you. Twenty bucks."

"Let's hear it."

"Just don't get mad, okay? He wants you to break up with your boyfriend. He's just... He said, quote: "We'll be watching you.""

"Okay. Well, tell him thanks."

"Okay..."

"And to pay up."

"Okay. Oh, let me help you."

As she goes to stand, Jacob moves to help her, but the bronze-haired vampire I reluctantly call "family" swoops in at the last second and helps her, glaring at the tanned wolf before him. He mutters something about wolves descending, and I can't help but let out a small cough and roll my eyes, turning to look at the wolf boy standing in the tree line. Sending him a nod, he returns it before leaving, sending one last longing stare after Bella.

Muttering curses and disbeliefs under my breath in Italian, I walk into the "prom" and am instantly bombarded by the overpowering scent of human blood. My eyes find Jasper moments later and I weave my way through the crowd, finding his hand and holding onto it - not letting him get the chance to feed on humans tonight. His golden eyes look down at me with thanks and adoration, and pulls me closer, hand sliding around my back until his hand comes to rest on my right up, just above the beginning of the bottom of my dress.

"You're fine, Jazz," I reassure him, moving closer to the honey blond vampire. "If anyone is going to lose control tonight, it would be either Kathleen or myself. After all, she's only new to your "vegetarian" diet, and I'm not even a part of it."

"That's reassuring, darlin'," Jasper teases, taking hold of my hand and spinning me away from his body before pulling me back. I end up flush against his front, one hand clasped in his and the other on his shoulder as his rests on my waist. "Can I be honest with you, Miss Kaya?"

"Of course. You can tell me anything."

"I'd much rather be at home with you right now - none of these humans around."

"Well, if that were the case," I murmur into his ear, making him shudder. "We wouldn't be able to dance like in the old days."

He chuckles lowly, the deep baritone rumble of his voice setting me alight. "If you say so, darlin'."


	32. 𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓷𝓽𝔂-𝓮𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽

**xxviii. call of the wolf**

**a few weeks after the prom**

Howling from the wind and the pack of wolves fill the air, and it sends chills down my spine knowing that, one day soon, Kathleen's and Alice's other Mate is going to turn, and there'll be three of them again - the Treaty having no effect on them. To tell you the truth, I am not overly fond of any of the wolves, or soon to be wolves, of this generation, but I do hope that, when my daughter's future mate turns, he will become a different person.

A pair of arms sneak around my middle and a chin comes to rest on my shoulder, my body being held against a firm marble one and my hands moving to rest on top of theirs. "Come back inside, Kaya."

"What am I supposed to do, Jasper?" I murmur. "It's only a matter of weeks - days even - before this wolf, whoever he is, turns. Then Kathleen and Alice have to go find him, and they'll get Imprinted on - again."

"That cycle will continue for as long as they live," Carlisle informs from behind us. "There's no breaking it or escaping it, and both my daughter and yours will suffer through the pain of losing each Mate. Unless the wolf decides to become one of us and lives on."

The thought of having a wolf turn into a vampire sends a chill down my spine, and I pull away from my mate, walking over to the edge of the balcony, standing there with the majority of my feet hovering over the few metres to the ground below. The two blond vampires remain a safe distance from me, but I can feel the tension radiating from their lean, immortal bodies, and it makes me smile, knowing that they'd do anything for me.

Turning, I hold my arms out to the side and give them a wide grin, falling backwards off the balcony. Jasper darts forward and tries to grab me, but misses by millimetres. I plummet through the air and close my eyes, feeling the air rush past me. It stops abruptly as I hit the salt water pool, my body sinking to the bottom of the pool. Staring up at where Jasper and Carlisle are on the balcony from beneath the settling water, a soft smile grows on my face as the water distorts them.

Under the water it's so peaceful.

I can't hear the rapid beating of hearts, or the rushed breathing of living beings. The once loud footfalls are silent after over a century, and I can no longer hear the flapping of wings or the falling of morning dew in the forests. Everything that was once heightened is now dulled, and my world is silent; normal, for lack of a better word. To make things even better, I can no longer hear the howling of the wind and the wolves, and, while my head feels empty, I feel much more at peace than before.

With what appears to be a smile, Jasper steps off the balcony and drops into the pool beside me, swimming down until he's laying beside me, fingers entangled with mine and golden eyes peaceful for the first time in days. Siphon-sharing his pathokinesis, I allow myself to feel what everyone else feels. At the rush, I close my eyes and let out a sigh, the smile growing on my face. Beside me, Jasper's adoration and love flares, washing over me in wave after wave of warmth, and I know that he's looking at me.

What breaks us from this moment of peace is a stab of pure agony coming from Kathleen. My eyes fly open instantly and I push off from the bottom of the pool, launching up through the water and landing on the tiles beside the pool. Jasper follows my example and we quickly run into the house, coming to a stop in the lounge room where our daughter is, along with Alice.

I speed over to her. "Talk to me. What's wrong?"

Her pained orange-gold eyes meet my ruby red ones. "I can feel it again, mother. It hurts so much."

"Jeremy."

"It's not possible," Alice implores, distress covering her pixie-like features. "It can't be. He died decades ago. How is she feeling it right now?"

Gritting my teeth, I let out a hiss. "I had Chelsea strengthen her loyalty to the Volturi so Kathleen wouldn't try to kill herself after Jeremy died, but it wouldn't last forever. It would break when your new Mate turned, but I thought we had more time. Fuck!"

Ripping myself away from the two, I run from the Cullen residence and into the trees. I make my way past the town and head to the Reserve, skidding to a stop at the Treaty Line and coming face-to-face with a large black wolf with several other brown and grey wolves flanking him. Tied to one their back legs is a pair of shorts, and I know that they've come here to talk.

Nodding my head in greeting, the large black wolf, obviously the Alpha, returns the gesture before his body begins to crack and contort. I watch as he slowly returns to his human form, but look away as he tugs on the pair of pants currently on the tar road. A series of growls make me look back to the man, and I have to fight the hiss growing in my throat as I see the wolves moving closer to me.

"Stay where you are," I growl, making them tense, ears pinned back against their skulls. "I mean you no harm, or to cross the Treaty Line without permission, so I expect you to at least be civil and trust me considering I hold an Imprint."

The Alpha steps forward, toes brushing the invisible Treaty Line. "You are Kaya Salvatore, correct? I'm Sam Uley, the leader of this pack, and trust is to be earned, not demanded."

"I know who you are."

"Good. That means I don't have to explain how serious this situation is. Your daughter is the Imprint of one of the Quileute wolves, and I want to know which one."

I roll my eyes and cross my arms over my chest, sensing Jasper behind me. "He's only just turned. I will not tell you how I know that, but only that it comes from a reliable source I will not name."

"Very well. Billy wants to speak to you, and I want you to meet your daughter's Imprinter."

"As long as your pack doesn't decide to rip me to pieces."

The black-haired man's lips quirk into a small smile. "Of course not."

He shifts back into his wolf form and motions for me to come over the Treaty Line. Looking back over my shoulder, meeting the wide eyes of my mate for a second, before I step over the Line. The wolves let out yips and growls as they take off, and I run after them, easily keeping up with them considering that they're meant to be faster than vampires. It doesn't take long before we come to a stop in front of Billy Black's house, and I see the old man in a wheelchair, two younger males standing by his side.

Walking forward, I pull the old man into a hug that he reciprocates. "Billy Black, it's been too long, old friend."

"That it has, Miss Salvatore," the old Quileute replies with a smile, but it turns sour a moment later. "I wish it were under better circumstances though."


	33. 𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓷𝓽𝔂-𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓮

**xxix. the imprinting**

Unease fills the air, and I can feel the distrust and disgust coming from the wolves around me. However, unlike the others, Jared, the Beta, remains neutral to my presence. Shifting my gaze to him, I give him a weak smile in response to the quirk of his lips, but clear my throat and turn back to Billy and Sam a moment later, unable to prevent my gaze from flicking to the quiet boy slightly behind them.

"So, this is the wolf?" I dare to ask, shifting in my seat.

Billy nods, expression grim. "Embry phased today, and, from what you have told us, you're daughter, Kathleen, began to feel the pain from having lost Jeremy. Is that right?"

"Yes. Why do you look so unhappy about it, Billy? This is something that has been prophesied for generations."

"We know," Sam interrupts, but his deep voice holds an undertone that makes me give him a sharp look. "This time is different though."

"What are you saying, Uley? That this wolf is different from Jeremy?"

"Very, and he has a different fate in store for him if he Imprints on Kathleen."

The different prophecies of the Quileutes flicker through my mind until one catches my attention, my eyes widening in disbelief and horror for the boy. "It's the second tri-Imprint, and that means he's going to... I am so sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. If I had of known what was to come when I siphoned from that woman..."

Jared pulls me into a hug as I break down, crying out my regret and misery for this moment. At their Beta's movement, the pack's emotions shift to ones of confusion and sympathy, knowing that, through the pack bond they share, Jared wouldn't do this to just any old vampire. Even Sam and Billy want to comfort me in this moment, and it makes me realise how much of a strong bond there is.

You see, back when Kathleen and I first came to this town, we bonded with the Quileute Pack from back then. It consisted of most of these currents member's parents or relatives. They told stories to their children of the two red-eyed Cold Ones that brought love and family to the Pack, and brought in an Imprint for one of the members; for Jeremy, the Beta. Those stories made the children come to like those Cold Ones, and come to understand some of what we held dear.

Kathleen and I were close to Jared's family due to Jeremy being a relative, and that meant the bond forged there was stronger than with the other members and families in the Pack. Also, sometimes over the decades I would leave the Volturi to return here to Forks, and get to know the newer generations of the Quileutes. That kept my bond with this Pack strong, and kept me in the loop with what was going on in this part of the world.

Wiping my tears away, I smile at Jared. "Thanks, Jared. I'm good now."

The Beta grins down at me. "Anytime, Kaya."

"Miss Salvatore," Billy says, drawing my attention. "We do not blame you for having a child, or for allowing these prophecies to come true. If you had not have siphoned from that woman and given birth to Kathleen, you would have had no reason to return here after your initial visit decades ago, and we would not be friends."

Sam nods in agreement.

I stare at them with wide-eyed wonder. "You see  _me_ , a  _vampire_ , as your  _friend_?"

"Of course we do," Jared crows happily, making the pack murmur their agreements despite their former distrust and disgust of me.

"Okay, um, well, that's a surprise." I shake my head. "Anyway, should I call Kathleen and Alice here? So we can see if this prophecy is about them and Embry?"

"That would be a good idea," Sam agrees."

Once Kathleen and Alice agree to meet Sam and Paul at the Treaty Line, it's only a matter of minutes before they're standing in front of Jared and I. Embry is still sitting against the wall of Billy's house, leg bouncing up and down rapidly as he attempts to get his mind around this situation. Walking over to him, I crouch down and gently take one of his hands in mine, making his brown eyes dart up to me.

I give him a small smile. "Go talk to them, okay? Whichever way this goes, you will always be a part of this pack, and a part of my family. Alright?"

The freshly phased wolf gives me a smile and nods, standing a moment later and helping me get to my feet. I watch as he walks over to my daughter and my Mate's adopted sister, and a smile crosses my face. This is the moment we're waiting for, and none of us are entirely as to what the outcome is going to be. Jared comes to stand by my side and slings his arm around my shoulders, a shit-eating grin on his face at seeing Embry being so shy for once in his life.

The dark haired male is clad in almost knee length jean shorts and a faded blue-grey t-shirt, nothing too fancy. To be fair, he is quite tall - an inch taller than Jasper - and slender with light russet skin, long rounded muscles, and cropped black hair and brown eyes. He stops a few metres from the girls and finally looks up, his brown eyes instantly looking over at Kathleen and Alice.

My ruby eyes watch with delight as Embry meets Kathleen's eyes, his entire body going rigid. At that, I feel my stomach drop, but also pure happiness churn within me. Only moments later he turns boneless and falls to his knees, Kathleen and Alice darting forward to catch him, all three of them ending up kneeling on the muddy ground. Looking over at Sam, his dark eyes are burning with emotion, and it's too much of a mess for me to attempt to figure it out. However, the corner of his lips are quirked up into a sad smile, and that tells me all I need to know.

"I hate that I was the cause of this, Jared," I murmur, making the Beta look down at me. "But I can't help feeling happy for them."

"It's what life made for them," Jared says, shrugging. "As Billy said, we wouldn't have known you if Kathleen hadn't of been born, and I don't think Embry would have had an Imprint either."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I made Embry a werewolf before 'New Moon.' Sue me, bitches. I needed a wolf, and since I'm planning a Paul Lahote story, I didn't really want it to be him. Also, you'll see later on why I have chosen to use Embry.


	34. 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓻𝓽𝔂

**xxx. make me an offer**

Deep in the trees, far from Washington, Demetri and I are at odds.

He wants to inform Aro of the changes that have been made to the Treaty between the Quileutes and the Cullens, but I'd prefer to keep it under wraps. Not to mention, it only concerns one of the Cullens - Alice - and none of the others. Aro has no need of knowing of the possibility of Kathleen becoming a Cullen, and of her and Alice most likely getting married some time in the future. In my opinion, those small details are of no importance to the Volturi or its leaders.

"Kaya, I have to tell him something," Demetri protests. "It's been far too long without useful information from you and Kathleen."

"Then tell him that the Treaty has been modified to incorporate myself and Kathleen," I hiss in return, making the Tracker recoil. "I don't care what, but make sure it's believable."

"If he reads my mind you know that I can't keep this from him."

"Make sure it doesn't come to that. Be convincing. I'll be the one to tell him when I return to the Volturi next year."

The perks Demetri's interest. "You're coming back?"

I nod sharply. "Something is going to happen next year, and it's going to shatter what calm the Cullens have made with Isabella Swan. It will drive them away from here, and everything will go to hell in a handbasket for them." I pick up the sound of footfalls. "You best be going. Someone is coming."

The cheeky vampire salutes and speeds away, leaving me standing alone in the middle of a forest. It's not long after he leaves that a wolf trots up beside me. From the grey-brown fur and relatively tall height, and the dark grey fur around his eyes that kind of resembles a mask, I can tell that it's Jared. His black eyes give me a disbelieving look, knowing exactly who I was talking to due to his superior eyesight and enhanced hearing.

He crouches down slightly and motions for me to climb onto his back with his rather large head. Rolling my eyes, I jump up and sling my leg over his broad back, burying my fingers into his long, thick fur and holding on as he rises to his feet and balances himself. With what appears to be a grin on his face, he quickly turns and sprints into the trees, making me let out an initial small exclamation of shock, my hold tightening on his fur.

Moments later, I get used to the feeling and let go, holding onto Jared with my legs and flinging my arms up into the air. I let out a loud cheering noise and Jared echoes it with a howl, making me laugh out in delight. I feel like a child in this moment, and it's something I have desperately missed, and needed, for ages. The shape-shifter beneath me swerves to the right and I fall forward, hunkering down and gripping his fur once again as my red eyes scan the area.

A loud  _bang_  resonates in my ears and I drag Jared to the right, forcing him out of the bullet's path. It buries itself into the trunk of a tree and I let out a low hiss at the close call, Jared letting out a small whine at how tightly I'm holding onto his fur. Loosening my hold, I call out directions for him to dodge the bullets, and it's a close call each time. One of them scrape Jared's flank, and another buries itself into my upper arm somehow.

"Fuck," I curse. "It's a Hunter."

Jared whines back at me.

"I know. Just keep moving. Go faster if you can, Jared. We need to get back to Forks."

He grunts in agreement and the ground beneath us blurs as he runs at a supernatural speed through the trees. I press my body against his back to lower the amount of resistance against the wind and try my best not to breathe, the smell of dog quite potent and sickening being so close to the shape-shifter. Shots are continually fired at us, but soon we're out of range and on the home stretch back to Washington, relief pulsing from both Jared and me.

A minute later, the grey-brown wolf skids to a stop not too far from the Cullen residence and I slide off, instantly checking where the bullet grazed his flank. Parting the fur, I see the wound still fresh and bleeding, and I can smell something strange. Scoffing, I cover the wound with my hand and try something I've never done before - siphoning a wound. At first, nothing happens, but then there's a flare of pain on my thigh before it ebbs away into nothing.

Jared bumps his head against me and growls softly.

I shake my head. "The bullet was laced with something, and the wound wasn't healing. So I siphoned your wound. Whatever was on those bullets only affects wolves, like you, Jared."

He huffs and rolls his eyes, giving me an 'are you serious?' look.

"Don't look at me like that, you cheeky bugger. It could have killed you."

"You were shot at?" Jasper demands, walking up behind me and making Jared bare his teeth and growl. I place my hand on his side and turn to look at my Mate. "Kaya, what were you doing out there? With a wolf no less."

I blink, caught off-guard by the honey blond's blatant hatred for wolves. "Jazz, all Jared did was come pick me up. I was meeting up with Demetri, and I wasn't letting him come to your house no matter what Carlisle or Esme said. As much as I trust the Tracker, I will not let him near your family."

" _Our_  family, Kaya. You're a part of this family, but the wolf isn't."

"I have known him and his family longer than I've know Carlisle and his, except for you and Kathleen, and I will not abandon him - or the other Quileutes - unless it's absolutely necessary. Also, they are our family. I mean, wasn't our daughter Imprinted on by Embry? Wasn't Alice?"

"Kaya-"

"No, Jasper. There's nothing you can say that can change that fact. Jared is as much my family as much as you and Kathleen are. The same goes with Embry and Sam and Paul, and whatever other Quileute wolves end up phasing by the end of all this."

Jasper speeds over and covers my mouth, a soft smile on his face. "No, darlin'. I was goin' to say that you're right."

Jared makes a choking sound, and all I can figure is that he's laughing.

I whack him. "Go home, Jared. Thanks for the ride. Tell Sam and the others that there might be some Hunters wandering around."

The wolf's tongue lolls out for a second before he speeds off, and I can't help but laugh at his version of poking his tongue out. Jasper chuckles beside me and moves his arms so they're around my waist. I can't help but roll my eyes at the familiar comfortable position - my back against his front, and my hands resting on his on my abdomen.

Right now, things couldn't be better, but things are going to get so much worse over the next few months, and there's nothing I can do to stop it.


	35. 𝓼𝓮𝓺𝓾𝓮𝓵

**Hello, readers!**

**This story has been brilliant to write, but, sadly, all good things must come to an end at some point. Good news though: t** **he first chapter of the sequel -** **_'Beloved ➺ Jasper Hale [2]'_  - is finally up, guys! **

**I've linked it below. I'm not sure if it worked, because I've never used it before, but I do hope that it has. If you don't want to use that, you can always go onto my profile and go into the book that way.**

**Go check it out if you want, and let me know what you think!**

**I'll be seeing you in 'Beloved' when you get there!**

**© Chey Eveleigh 2019**


End file.
